Stonewall
06-19-2001, 10:24 PM
Does anybody now much about this new grass? Sounds interesting. This from Grounds Maintenance.
NEW HEAT AND DROUGHT TOLERANT BLUEGRASS
Reveille, a cross of Kentucky bluegrass with Texas native bluegrass, is now available in limited quantities. It was developed by Dr. James Read, a Texas A&M grass breeder and geneticist in Dallas. The result is a turf that looks similar to Kentucky bluegrass but is hardy enough to stand the South`s heat and sun.
"Even more important than its looking like a Kentucky horse farm, it stays green all year long, in warm season climates," said Read. "Reveille showed heat tolerance, low water use and good insect and disease resistance, but most of all, it stays green winter and summer. "Only extraordinary circumstances would make it temporarily lose color - prolonged drought or a sudden hard freeze at a time when the grass is actively growing. In either situation it recovers and doesn`t go dormant even in these extreme conditions. Commercial areas and corporate complexes could find this very attractive and might even lower their landscape maintenance costs. "Dr. James McAfee, Texas Agricultural Extension Service turfgrass specialist, agrees.
"So many people want a green lawn all year," he said. "Their only choice up to now was overseeding with ryegrass in winter to maintain the aesthetics of a green lawn around the complex. We don`t know costs of this new turf yet, but anything that reduces labor should be beneficial. And it`s much less labor intensive to maintain the same turf than converting back and forth as seasons change. "This great new bluegrass provides year-round green lawn without all the complicating factors," said McAfee. "It may never replace bermuda and St. Augustine as the basic turf in this area, but it certainly has a much-needed use we haven`t had before."
Read developed the grass at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research Center in Dallas after 12 years of research and trials. He made the successful cross in 1990.Adapted from Canadian plains to the desert southwest, the grass "needs good drainage -- doesn`t like wet feet -- but doesn`t mind the hot sun," said Read. "Another advantage is that it can be started any time, except for the coldest part of winter when the ground is frozen. "Even for people who hate mowing, regardless of the time of year, Reveille only needs mowing about once a month in the winter. That`s not bad when your lawn stays green all year and you don`t have to contend with dead, dry grass in cold weather. It`s a slow grower and produces a seed head only in the spring. "Growers are now establishing sod fields. Reveille will be available as sod late this year "but in very limited quantities," warned Read. "We need another year to produce enough sod to supply consumers.
The research was funded in part by Gardner Turfgrass, which has the worldwide rights to the grass. The company is licensing growers through out the South and transition zone. It is currently available in limited quantities in Arizona and El Paso, Texas. It will be available later this year in Dallas, San Antonio and Albuquerque. Other locations coming online next year are in North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and possibly Missouri and Illinois. There is no seed available at this time but there will be limited quantities in the fall for special projects only.
Reveille hybrid bluegrass developed by:
James Read, Ph.D, Professor Plant Breeding, Forage and Turfgrass Cooperating researchers include:
Phillip Colbaugh, Ph.D. William Knoop, Ph.D. James Reinert, Ph.D.
Contact: Stan Gardner, Gardner Turfgrass, Inc. 303-252-1900 StanTurf@aol.com
http://content.intertec.com/newsletter/GroundsMagNews/default.asp?Article=556
NEW HEAT AND DROUGHT TOLERANT BLUEGRASS
Reveille, a cross of Kentucky bluegrass with Texas native bluegrass, is now available in limited quantities. It was developed by Dr. James Read, a Texas A&M grass breeder and geneticist in Dallas. The result is a turf that looks similar to Kentucky bluegrass but is hardy enough to stand the South`s heat and sun.
"Even more important than its looking like a Kentucky horse farm, it stays green all year long, in warm season climates," said Read. "Reveille showed heat tolerance, low water use and good insect and disease resistance, but most of all, it stays green winter and summer. "Only extraordinary circumstances would make it temporarily lose color - prolonged drought or a sudden hard freeze at a time when the grass is actively growing. In either situation it recovers and doesn`t go dormant even in these extreme conditions. Commercial areas and corporate complexes could find this very attractive and might even lower their landscape maintenance costs. "Dr. James McAfee, Texas Agricultural Extension Service turfgrass specialist, agrees.
"So many people want a green lawn all year," he said. "Their only choice up to now was overseeding with ryegrass in winter to maintain the aesthetics of a green lawn around the complex. We don`t know costs of this new turf yet, but anything that reduces labor should be beneficial. And it`s much less labor intensive to maintain the same turf than converting back and forth as seasons change. "This great new bluegrass provides year-round green lawn without all the complicating factors," said McAfee. "It may never replace bermuda and St. Augustine as the basic turf in this area, but it certainly has a much-needed use we haven`t had before."
Read developed the grass at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research Center in Dallas after 12 years of research and trials. He made the successful cross in 1990.Adapted from Canadian plains to the desert southwest, the grass "needs good drainage -- doesn`t like wet feet -- but doesn`t mind the hot sun," said Read. "Another advantage is that it can be started any time, except for the coldest part of winter when the ground is frozen. "Even for people who hate mowing, regardless of the time of year, Reveille only needs mowing about once a month in the winter. That`s not bad when your lawn stays green all year and you don`t have to contend with dead, dry grass in cold weather. It`s a slow grower and produces a seed head only in the spring. "Growers are now establishing sod fields. Reveille will be available as sod late this year "but in very limited quantities," warned Read. "We need another year to produce enough sod to supply consumers.
The research was funded in part by Gardner Turfgrass, which has the worldwide rights to the grass. The company is licensing growers through out the South and transition zone. It is currently available in limited quantities in Arizona and El Paso, Texas. It will be available later this year in Dallas, San Antonio and Albuquerque. Other locations coming online next year are in North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and possibly Missouri and Illinois. There is no seed available at this time but there will be limited quantities in the fall for special projects only.
Reveille hybrid bluegrass developed by:
James Read, Ph.D, Professor Plant Breeding, Forage and Turfgrass Cooperating researchers include:
Phillip Colbaugh, Ph.D. William Knoop, Ph.D. James Reinert, Ph.D.
Contact: Stan Gardner, Gardner Turfgrass, Inc. 303-252-1900 StanTurf@aol.com
http://content.intertec.com/newsletter/GroundsMagNews/default.asp?Article=556