The Turfgrass Group Licenses First TifGrand™ Growers

The Turfgrass Group, Inc. (www.theturfgrassgroup.com), of Fort Valley, Georgia, has licensed the first growers for TifGrand™, the world’s first sterile triploid hybrid Bermudagrass with significant shade tolerance.

Coosa Valley Turf of Centre, AL; Holland Gardens of Lubbock, TX; NG Turf, of Whitesburg, GA; Pike Creek Turf of Adel, GA; Patten Seed Company/Super Sod of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina; and Sod Atlanta of Cartersville, GA are the first licensees to grow TifGrand™.

TifGrand™ is a dense, semi-dwarf Bermudagrass with thin, dark green blades. Developed by Drs. Wayne Hanna and Kris Braman of The University of Georgia’s internationally renowned turfgrass program, testing and evaluation over a decade has proven its outstanding tolerance of 60% to 70% shade and its excellent tawny mole cricket non-preference. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes and requires lower fertilizer (nitrogen) and water inputs than previously released Bermudagrasses.

Tom Wolfe of Coosa Valley Turf, believes “homeowners will love being able to have the same Bermudagrass in their shady backyards as is in the sunny fronts. The appearance is better and the maintenance is easier.”

Pike Creek Turf’s Jimmy Allen is excited about the ability to mow TifGrand™ to 0.5” for golf fairways in sun and in shade. He says ”it stays very dense and gives the golf ball a good, clean lie that the players will really like.” Allen is trialing TifGrand™ at 5/32” for course tee areas and thinks it will do very well.

Aaron McWhorter, owner of NG Turf, noted that “TifGrand™ is a nice, dark green, fine-bladed turfgrass – very attractive,” and says it should appeal to a wide variety of users.

Hampton Gardens will be growing TifGrand™ in plug trays for direct retail sale to those homeowners whose landscaping has matured, grown larger and created canopied shade. Wayne Hampton is pleased that “where their Bermuda formerly thrived is now too shady...TifGrand™ gives them the opportunity to keep both their Bermudagrass and their beloved larger trees.”

TifGrand™ will be grown exclusively as a certified turfgrass and all licensed growers will be required to meet stringent crop certifying agency requirements and undergo careful, continuous monitoring to insure the ongoing purity and uniformity of this outstanding new hybrid for both producers and users.

For more information on TifGrand™ and licensing opportunities, please contact Bill Carraway, Vice President of Marketing, The Turfgrass Group, Inc. at (770) 207-1500.
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