Turf Research Ultrafine Zoysia

RESEARCH STAGE: Late-Stage
RESEARCH PARTNER: Sod Solutions, University of Florida, NC State University, Modern Turf, JW Turf, Clemson University
LOCATION: South Carolina, Florida
GOAL: Develop new ultrafine zoysia varieties especially for golf
youtube-video-thumbnail

SUMMARY

Sod Solutions is working with both universities and private companies to develop new ultrafine zoysia varieties. The aim is to bring to market zoysias with less thatch, more winter color, fewer maintenance needs and more overall playability, especially for golf.

The trend of ultrafine zoysias for use on golf putting greens is still going strong. Ultrafine zoysias offer a dense, smooth surface with less visible wear and much better winter color than their counterparts, ultra-dwarf bermudagrassses, which normally go dormant more rapidly in colder temperatures.

University of Florida Professor and Turfgrass Breeder Dr. Kevin Kenworthy is testing several experimental zoysia lines for greens. The focus is on developing varieties with less thatch, more winter color, fewer maintenance needs and high ball speed. These developing lines are being tested at several locations including Modern Turf in South Carolina and J.W. Turf in Florida. They are also being evaluated at Clemson University (Page ?) and at a demo site in Southeastern Brazil.

Growing and evaluating experimental ultrafine zoysias for greens is difficult and very demanding in terms of maintenance. All plots need to be maintained at greens height (below 0.125) with a reel mower and some locations do not have that kind of equipment at their disposal all the time. The climate also had an impact on the plots at the University of Florida. Last winter’s low temperatures left many entries with a high amount of winter damage, making it impossible to collect data from it this year. The plots are under recovery mode and should produce more info next year.

Ultrafine zoysia plots at Modern Turf.

If you'd like to trial some of the grasses in this research study, please complete the form below.

Contact Form

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Scroll to Top