TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda
TifTuf, a hybrid Bermuda grass, has become the benchmark when it comes to measuring the drought tolerance of turf.
The product of almost 25 years of research and development from one of the world’s leading turf grass breeders, the University of Georgia, TifTuf was selected from almost 30,000 Bermuda varieties. It has a fine leaf blade with dense growth, which makes it ideal for a wide variety of applications.
Providing Bushfire Mitigation
Balmoral Village Hall – This small town suffered devastating losses, with the fires destroying 18 homes and around 90% of its surrounding bushland. This was evident during the bushfires, as days and weeks of hard work from local fire brigades, community members and other volunteers saw them save this historical building from almost certain destruction.
A big part of the project was to not only ensure the gardens looked fantastic but were also able to stand up to the harsh climate of the area and provide some natural barriers to the surrounding bushland as a buffer in case the bushfires were to one day return.
The centre piece of this is the lawn, which is 1000 square metres in size and surrounds the picturesque hall. The grass chosen to fit the brief was TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. TifTuf was selected due to its excellent drought tolerance, which will enable it to stand up to Balmoral’s long hot summers without the need for constant irrigation.
“Watered and mowed lawns provide a healthy and clean environment which can make an important contribution to creating a defendable space around homes and infrastructure in bushfire prone areas.” – Paul de Mar, from research company, GHD.
Providing high wear tolerance
In 2019 HG Turf approached Lawn Solutions Australia member Musturf with a product called XtraGrassTM, a hybrid turf system with both natural grass and synthetic fibres. This product can increase play time on fields, reduce divots, eliminate establishment time and keep fields looking greener for longer. Musturf saw the opportunity to use XtraGrassTM on high-wear sporting areas and proceeded to grow 3,500sqm on their turf farm in Freemans Reach.
As the news of XtraGrassTM with TifTuf quickly spread, we were approached to conduct trials at various locations including Waverley Oval, Castle Hill Golf Course, Australian Catholic college and the soon to be conducted trial at the Wanderers Training facility. Each client clearly saw the benefits of XtraGrassTM and have all been impressed by its performance.
Another great case study was conducted by The Royal Botanic Gardens in trial a high traffic pedestrian area. This section suffered intense wear from people overtaking others via the grass beside the walkway. The section is performing strongly and can be easily top-dressed and maintained as required.
Providing low water requirements and environmentally friendly green space
Mount Lofty House is a venue and hotel in Crafers South Australia that was built back in 1852. In recent years the property has undergone significant additions and renovations. Recently discussions were had about the best turf solutions for the Mount Lofty fire track which leads to the helicopter pad surrounding the property and for the repair of some existing areas.
“Water management is a critical aspect to our business as we do not have mains access and therefore rely solely on our spring-fed water. Our spring supplies the entire estate.” – David Tonkin, Guest Relations Manager at Mount Lofty House.
Sunnyside Instant Lawns recommended the grass TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, a couch grass, that is the only grass currently recognised with the Smart Approved WaterMark in Australia for its water saving characteristics. TifTuf would provide a grass that could handle a lot of wear and foot traffic but would also withstand extended periods without irrigation when necessary.
The finished result has provided a spectacular unity between the natural living areas and the Mount Lofty Facilities. Mr Tonkin has been particularly pleased with the amazing water usage in maintaining the TifTuf. Or as he puts it rather the ‘lack of water usage’ that the grass has shown.
Providing long-term solutions for cost-efficient green space
Southbank Parklands in Brisbane has utilised new and improved turf varieties across many areas of the site in order to address turf issues that existed with previous varieties. Issues such as shade and high levels of wear were ongoing problems that were leading to continual returfing requirements and intensive maintenance practices. Through the use of grasses like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda in high wear areas and Sir Grange Zoysia in areas of high shade, the parklands have found solutions that have eliminated the need for turf replacement.
Providing a platform for first class events
During the thick of the Covid period in early 2020, the Redcliffe Dolphins Rugby League Club penned a deal with the Brisbane Roar A-League and W-League teams that would see soccer played on the hallowed rugby league ground, Moreton Daily Stadium from December 2020. Redcliffe Dolphins General Manager of Football Operations Grant Cleal said,
“Having the Roar using Moreton Daily Stadium has been one of the best moves we have made, and it was a realisation of why the stadium was built in the first place, to attract first class events to the Moreton Bay Region”.
The right grass is paramount when you imagine the traffic the playing area has to cope with. Among the dozen A-League matches, the venue was scheduled to host two NRL trials at the start of the 2021 season. They are also heading into their own rugby league season competing in the Queensland Rugby League Major Competitions, where they control senior teams from the state-wide Cyril Connell Cup (under 16’s) to the Intrust Super Cup. This would usually mean hosting four senior rugby league teams on a Saturday evening, then turning out an A-League soccer pitch twelve hours later.
“This amount of usage is probably more than some of the major stadiums around the country at the moment, but we are enjoying the challenges presented when running a multi-use venue. We also have some great support and advice from our suppliers in Lawn Solutions Australia and Twin View Turf to name just a few. Their guidance, along with the quality turf that we planted has helped us enormously”, said Cleal.
“The feedback from the Roar and the FFA has always been very positive, the players absolutely love the venue and in particular the heightened atmosphere that comes from a crowd that are seated very close to the field. The players love the TifTuf playing surface also”, Cleal added.
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is exclusively available in Australia through the Lawn Solutions Australia national network turf suppliers. For project enquiries, please contact the Lawn Solutions Australia Head Office on 1300 883 711.