Hawaiian Turfgrass is the only sod producer in Hawaii licensed to produce SeaStar Paspalum. A vegetatively propagated grass, SeaStar will be
available as sod, or, can be installed by using equipment for mechanically installing live sprigs.
Photo: Courtesy of Hawaiian Turfgrass

Hawaiian Turfgrass, one of O'ahu's premier producers of certified, low water use turf, recently licensed SeaStar Paspalum, a grass especially suited for the Hawaiian climate. SeaStar may be used for golf courses wall-to-wall, sports turf and home lawns. The grass was developed by a leading seashore paspalum turfgrass breeder, Dr. Paul Raymer, at the University of Georgia.

"Hawaii is one of the most ideal environments that exists for seashore paspalum grasses. It's the temperature, the humidity, the soil. It's just happy there," Raymer said. "SeaStar, in terms of pure quality, color, density and texture, is better across the board than any other seashore paspalum grass on the market today."

SeaStar Paspalum was in testing and development at UGA for nine years prior to its release. Results of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program placed SeaStar in trials at eight locations from 2007-2009 and the grass rated highest for quality, color and texture.

The grass makes for high quality sports fields and fine-textured home laws. For golf, SeaStar offers the rare opportunity to use one grass on every playing surface.

"It is truly a grass for golf course applications that can go wall-to-wall. It was developed with wall-to-wall in mind, from roughs and fairways, to tees and greens. It performs very well at all of those wide ranges of mowing heights," Raymer said.

Other benefits of SeaStar include: a high level of salt tolerance, tested and confirmed short-term drought tolerance, and the ability to be mowed with a reel or rotary mower.

SeaStar Paspalum is in plant quarantine now in Hawaii, said Sean Aukanaii Fong, president of Hawaiian Turfgrass. Inventory will be available sometime next year. Hawaiian Turfgrass is currently taking reservations for SeaStar golf projects for 2016. For more information about Hawaiian Turfgrass visit www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.