CitraBlue’s Striking Blue-Green Color

CitraBlue™ St. Augustine got its name from its distinctive blue-green color and for its development at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research & Education Unit at Citra, FL. One of CitraBlue’s main breeding objectives was to demonstrate superior characteristics to Floratam including a striking blue-green color depicted in the second half of its name, Citra “Blue”. The image above demonstrates this characteristic with Floratam (pictured left) and CitraBlue (pictured right).

CitraBlue Breeder and University of Florida Professor, Kevin Kenworthy, states in the video below, “One of the hallmark features of the grass is that it has a really unique blue-green color that’s extremely attractive. It’s very striking to look at it and when you see a landscape planted in it, it really pops.”

Chris Leffler at A. Duda & Sons Inc., a sod farm in Oviedo, FL goes on to say, “Almost immediately we noticed in many replications of this particular variety, in which it later becomes CitraBlue, that it stood out in color all the time. It’s just a very unique dark blue-green color. So when trying to ignore your biases in looking at things scientifically, it was impossible. You always knew where that product was. So I was very interested to look at it from that standpoint initially.”

Pictured above: CitraBlue St. Augustine’s striking blue-green color (left) standing out against Floratam St. Augustine (right).

Sod Solutions will continue to market CitraBlue at upcoming turfgrass related trade shows. Sod Solutions is also open to any city, county, state or other organizations that may be open to a lunch & learn. Please reach out to Erin Wilder at [email protected] if you have an interest in a lunch & learn at your place of business. Lastly, be sure to check out other Turf Talk articles on CitraBlue such as CitraBlue St. Augustine Research and Breeding Process and CitraBlue St. Augustine: What’s in a Name?

 

CitraBlue™ ‘FSA1602’ St. Augustine grass was developed by the University of Florida’s turfgrass breeding program under a sponsored Research Service Agreement with the Turfgrass Producers of Florida, Inc. (TPF). CitraBlue St. Augustine is exclusively licensed to TPF by Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., a direct support organization of the University of Florida. CitraBlue is marketed by Sod Solutions, Inc. and is now available throughout Florida.