Earleton, FL (Friday, July 6, 2007): Environmental Turf, Inc., is proud to announce that Best Florida Sod in Earleton has been selected as a licensed sod producer of UltimateFlora Zoysia, an environmentally friendly turfgrass developed by turf breeders at the University of Florida.
Best Florida Sod is owned and operated by Eilam Arad, a 2003 graduate of University of Florida with a degree in Business Administration with a major in finance. A native of Israel, Arad has 7 years of experience in the turf industry in Florida.
"I feel a close connection to the University of Florida. As it were, I happened to find out about this great grass through my relationship with UF. However, my choice to grow UltimateFlora Zoysia was based on the obvious superiority of the grass rather than my loyalty to UF. This grass is exactly the grass the state of Florida needs to balance its increasing population as it struggles to conserve water and improve the environment," Arad said.
Marketed world-wide by 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 Meyer and Empire Zoysia varieties.
Arad said he opted to become a licensed grower of UltimateFlora Zoysia for several reasons. "First and foremost it is beautiful. It looks better than any other warm-season grass. Combine that with the grass’s environmental advantages, and it’s a no-brainer," Arad said.
In Florida, as in most other places in the world these days, environmental issues such as drought, water use and fertilizer requirements play a major part in residential and agricultural development. Arad said these factors also defined his choice of UltimateFlora Zoysia.
"Water restrictions are now commonplace in many Florida counties. It seems inevitable that in the not so distant future all Florida counties will have some sort of water restrictions. Also, nitrogen runoff is a big problem especially in communities that are close to lakes. As consumers become more aware of the need to preserve our environment, we in the green industry should take the lead and embrace environmentally friendly solutions," Arad 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 in North Florida, contact Best Florida Sod toll free at 1-866-zoysia1 (866-969-7421), online at www.bestfloridasod.com or via email at office@bestfloridasod.com .
Contact:
Stacie Zinn
Cell: 239-398-4224
Office: 239-774-1293
stacie@environmentalturf.com
