Drought Tolerant Sod

Sod producer Fort McCoy Farms has licensed a new variety of Zoysia grass known both for its great look and a level of drought tolerance sufficient to convince the Florida Green Building Coalition to award green home points to properties that utilize it for landscaping. According to Johnson, who has 28 years experience in Florida's turf industry, his company works with a variety of sods because each species has unique characteristics that make them suited for different uses.

Centipede grass is known for being low maintenance, Bermuda is useful for sports fields and other areas that see heavy foot traffic, St. Augustine is often used by pasture owners and Zoysia grasses are frequently used for golf courses.

''We've been looking at this for a couple of years,'' Johnson said of the newly licensed UltimateFlora Zoysia grass. ''This is a very hardy variety of Zoysia. They may wilt and even turn brown, but they don't die out like some other grasses. If you get into a water shortage, these will bounce back.

''Drought tolerance is certainly something that should be taken into account when determining what kind of new lawn to put in,'' he said, noting that many cities and counties are adopting more stringent water restriction plans to deal with periods of drought.

In addition to the durability of the new type of Zoysia, Johnson said it thrives under a variety of conditions and has a very pleasant appearance.