Understanding the Different Varieties of Sod

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Different Varieties of Sod

Different Varieties of Sod

When choosing the best sod for your lawn, you’ll be surprised at the number of options available. Each variety of sod performs best in different situations, so choosing one just because you like the way it looks isn’t a great strategy. Our team of sod experts here at Council Growers Sod can help you select the ideal sod for your yard’s soil, sunlight, and moisture conditions. We offer several varieties of sod to meet every homeowner’s needs, including:

  • Empire Zoysia

Many Floridians consider Zoysiagrass to be the gold standard for Sunshine State lawns, and Empire is the best of them all. Empire Zoysia grows slowly and evenly, reducing your required mows to just once every 1-2 weeks in the summer months. It’s also drought and chinch bug resistant. The fine blades of grass grown with Empire feel great under bare feet and hold up to traffic well, making it a superb choice for yards that get heavy use.

  • Celebration Bermuda

Celebration Bermuda is our recommendation for residential grass. This gorgeous, blue-green grass can stand up to heavy foot traffic and extreme drought conditions, while still keeping its lustrous “golf course” look. Celebration Bermuda feels great under the feet and is ideal for any area where play happens, from your backyard to the local park. Sports stadiums also love the durability and appearance of Celebration Bermuda.

  • Tifway 419 Bermuda

Tifway 419 is an ideal grass for commercial areas with high sun exposure such as golf courses and sports arenas. Tifway 419 grows densely, withstands heavy foot traffic well, bounces back quickly after damage, and keeps full-sun sport surfaces cooler.

  • Bimini Bermuda

Bimini bermudagrass is another great choice for commercial applications. This sod is another sun lover, making it a great choice for large, open areas such as golf courses, soccer fields, football stadiums, and baseball outfields. Bimini Bermuda has the added advantage of extremely quick growth, so it can be easily replaced after damage. 

  • Floratam St. Augustine

Floratam St. Augustine grass is likely what you imagine when thinking of Florida’s namesake grass. Floratam St. Augustine has deep green, coarse, wide blades that hold up great in the Florida sun. Floratam doesn’t love the shade though, so it’s best for yards that don’t have trees or other shade-casting decors.

  • Scotts ProVista St. Augustine

Scotts ProVista St. Augustine is one of the newest varieties of St. Augustine grass to hit the southern market. ProVista overcomes many of the problems seen with Floratam; ProVista is weed resistant due to its thick root mat, chinch bug resistant, and drought resistant. It even grows evenly in yards with an imbalance of sun and shade. This slow growth also means it only needs to be mowed half the time, so just once every two weeks in the summer and about once a month for the rest of the year. It’s a beautiful, superior quality, low-maintenance grass that suits any lawn.

  • Seville St. Augustine

Seville St. Augustine is very similar to Floratam St. Augustine, but grows much lower and tolerates moderate shade better. In fact, Seville is likely the most shade tolerant of all the St. Augustine grasses, other than the new ProVista. We recommend cutting Seville down to 2-2.5” for its best performance and watch out for the same pest and disease issues that are prominent with Floratam.

  • Bitter Blue St. Augustine

Bitter Blue St. Augustine is very similar to Floratam, but with a deeper blue hue and slightly finer blades. Avoid installing this sod during high humidity, as it is prone to fungal disease just after installation.

  • Citrablue St. Augustine

Citrablue St. Augustine was developed through a partnership between the University of Florida and the Turfgrass Producers of Florida, Inc. It offers a deep blue-green color to the St. Augustine lover, along with less maintenance and more shade tolerance than Floratam.

  • Bahia

Bahiagrass, also known as field grass here in Florida, is the cheapest and most drought resistant of all the sod varieties we sell. It requires virtually no upkeep and is extremely resilient to harsh conditions. Bahiagrass is perfect for extremely large applications.

  • Native Seashore Paspalum

Also known as saltgrass, native seashore paspalum is best suited for coastal areas with heavy salt spray. This sod is a great choice for bioremediation sites, sand dune stabilization, erosion control, or land reclamation. 

  • Perennial Peanut

Sometimes traditional turf grass just isn’t the best solution. We offer three different varieties of perennial peanut for homeowners looking for a low-maintenance grass alternative. Don’t let difficult sunny areas in your yard stay dry and barren when you could have these attractive, yellow-orange flowers instead. Perennial peanut is drought resistant, has no known pests, almost never needs fertilizer, and requires very little mowing.

No matter what conditions you are working with, Council Growers Sod has the best sod for the job. We grow all of our sod on our Tampa-area farms, then deliver it directly to your door as soon as it is harvested. This ensures that you get the freshest, healthiest sod possible. Call our experts at (813) 633-8665 to discuss your sod needs and get a recommendation for the best variety for your project. If you already know what you want, visit www.freshsod.com to place your order today!