Media Contact: Stacie Zinn
AVON PARK, FL (Friday, June 29, 2007): Environmental Turf, Inc., is proud to announce that Gulf Kist Sod has been selected as a licensed sod producer of UltimateFlora Zoyia, an environmentally friendly turfgrass. Gulf Kist is producing UltimateFlora Zoysia at the company’s farm operations in Central Florida in Sebring, and on Florida’s East Coast in Vero Beach. Marketed world-wide by Avon Park-based Environmental Turf, Inc., UltimateFlora Zoysia was developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to replace water-intensive St. Augustinegrass in Florida lawns. UltimateFlora Zoysia requires less water and less fertilizer than St. Augustine. The grass can survive on as little as 1/2-inch of water (from rain or irrigation) per week and has natural defense systems to withstand periods of drought. UltimateFlora Zoysia delivers a lush green color, a medium texture and a soft feel underfoot. It has a much improved appearance over coarse-textured grasses such as St. Augustine. In addition, UltimateFlora Zoysia is resistant to the chinch bug insect, a common pest that attacks and destroys St. Augustine lawns. When compared to St. Augustine grass in University tests, UltimateFlora Zoysia ranks “better” for drought resistance and “better” for water use efficiency. It also has “better” shade tolerance, “better” wear tolerance and requires less water for irrigation than St. Augustine grass. University of Florida tests also compared UltimateFlora Zoysia to other existing Zoysiagrass lawn varieties. Those tests revealed that UltimateFlora Zoysia has better color, fewer seed heads and a finer, more desirable leaf texture than other Zoysia varieties. Gulf Kist Sod is owned and operated by Woerner Development Inc. Gulf Kist Sod has 10 years of experience in the turf industry in Florida. The parent company, Woerner Development Inc, has 25 years of turfgrass experience in the Southeast United States. Steve Thorne, regional director for Gulf Kist Sod, said his company opted to become a licensed grower of UltimateFlora Zoysia for several reasons. The overall appearance of the grass was one factor. “It’s so lush. It makes you want to take your shoes off and walk barefoot in it,” Thorne said. “But what really drove us to it was the big rush to find a drought tolerant grass.” In Florida, as in most other places in the world these days, environmental issues play a major part in golf and agricultural development. Gulf Kist’s Thorne said these factors also defined his choice of UltimateFlora Zoysia. “UltimateFlora Zoysia’s low water use, we believe, offers Florida homeowners an environmentally friendly alternative for their lawns. We get a lot of calls from people looking for a better drought tolerant grass and they’re looking for an alternative to Bahiagrass or St. Augustine,” Thorne said. Environmental Turf, Inc., is an award-winning firm dedicated to the research, development, marketing and distribution of environmentally-friendly warm-season turfgrasses. Based in Avon Park, Florida, Environmental Turf licenses quality sod producers world-wide to grow its environmentally friendly turfgrasses. For general information about UltimateFlora Zoysia, visit: www.environmentalturf.com For more information on UltimateFlora Zoysia grown in Florida by Gulf Kist Sod, call at 800-536-3674, via email at sthorne@gulfkist.com or on the web at www.woerner.com.
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