Texas Turfgrass To Be Abundant in 08

After a seed shortage last year, supplies of Axcella 2, a winter turfgrass developed by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, should be plentiful in 2008. “They had a good growing season in Oregon, where most turfgrass seed is grown,” said Dr. Lloyd Nelson, the Experiment Station scientist who developed Axcella 2.

Axcella 2 is an upgrade from an earlier released turf grass, Axcella.

Axcella 2 is even “dwarfier” than Axcella, which was the first dwarf ryegrass released, he said. This means that though the grass produces a thick, green rich carpet, it doesn’t grow tall and therefore requires only seldom mowing, Nelson said.

“Leaf color of Axcella 2 is much darker green than forage type annuals, such as Gulf ryegrass, but it is not as dark green as many perennials,” he said.

Axcella 2’s other advantage is that it starts growing when warm-season turfgrasses such as St. Augustine or bermudagrass stop growing in the late fall, Nelson said. Axcella 2 maintains its green color even when temperatures drop below freezing. And it stops growing in the spring at the time warm-season grasses come out of winter dormancy and begin growing again.

Source: agnews.tamu.edu.