SOS® offers the fastest establishment at low temperatures thanks to the latest generation of Westerwold ryegrass. In the last few years, SOS® has become known for its ability to establish itself extremely quickly at soil temperatures as low as 4 °C. This ensures a dense sward all year round.
SOS® is the best solution for minimising lost playing time. If SOS® is sown at the right time, at the end of the winter, it guarantees a high-quality sward. Overseeding with SOS® guarantees a grass cover of at least 60% within one month. That is 18 days faster than mixtures containing ryegrass.
The following graph shows just how quickly SOS® establishes and restores the sward when it is overseeded in January at a soil temperature of 6.2°C. Within one month, the grass cover is already more than 60%.
The most intensively used pitches lose most grass during wet periods in the autumn. In the worst cases, the pitches are bare even before the winter. Clubs have to improvise by using their good pitches, which are then played on until they are bare, too. That is the moment when SOS® proves its worth.
Whether it is the goal area in a football stadium, the village football field or the local amateur club’s pitch, SOS® is a suitable solution for the winter months.
Tetraploid ryegrass varieties are often marketed as a good alternative for SOS® on sports pitches. Generally, tetraploids grow quickly but laboratory research has proven that SOS® is of higher quality and that its rate of establishment (at 4°C) is better.
Tetraploid ryegrasses do not match Westerwold ryegrasses when it comes to growth or establishment at low soil temperatures. The varieties which are now available have little advantage over recreational grasses in terms of wear tolerance.
Current varieties of tetraploid grasses are sold as an alternative to SOS® for sports fields. They have had some recent success in repairing and overseeding sports fields at different times of the year, especially outside the growing season.
Tetraploids generally grow quickly but do not have the same capacity as SOS® to germinate and establish fast at a temperature as low as 4°C. That has been proven in laboratory trials.
Extensive research by organisations such as STRI have proven that tetraploids offer little advantage as a permanent solution. That is due to the poor turf density and wear tolerance.
The main component of our SOS® mixture is a variety which establishes quickly, Lolium multiflorum westerwoldicum, and has the characteristics needed for sport and recreational grass. It is the third generation of annual ryegrass with sport and recreational characteristics. SOS® has a proven track record on sports fields!
This component in SOS® delivers a fast solution - nothing on the market germinates or grows faster at low temperatures. Perennial ryegrasses such as Barminton are consistent features of the SOS® mixture. They have proven their worth in England and Scotland.
The good characteristics of SOS® have not gone unnoticed and a number of companies have tried to copy our success. To rebut this, Barenbrug Research facility carried out a germination trial under laboratory conditions, focussing on the question: Do tetraploid ryegrasses germinate at a higher rate than SOS®?
After 21 days, the results were clear: annual ryegrass establishes more quickly than tetraploid grasses in cold conditions.
