EMPIRE Turf Helps Florida Builders Earn Green Credits
Real estate professionals will tell you that curb appeal is crucial when trying to sell a home. A lush green lawn is the best way to make the entire exterior of a home look inviting.
Whether you’re a homebuilder or a homeowner, or you professionally specify, purchase, install or manage turf grass in warm season markets, EMPIRE Turf® Zoysia should be on your short list of considerations. Visually, EMPIRE is an attractive turf grass for residential landscapes, combining a soft-to-the-touch feel with lush green color and fine, tight blade growth. It is wear resistant, drought tough and in some states like Florida, builders receive “Green Credits” for using it as part of their projects.
EMPIRE Turf meets the Florida Green Building Coalition’s “Green Building” standards, which allows Florida builders seeking “Green Home Certification” to specify EMPIRE and receive certifying points. A green-certified home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier and more comfortable for occupants. The benefits of a green-certified home include reduced greenhouse emissions, and lower energy and water bills.
Water conservation continues to be a top priority in Florida, as well as other states across the Southeastern United States as drought conditions worsen despite December rainfall and storms. EMPIRE Turf is a drought tough zoysia grass cultivar with a built-in defense mechanism that allows it to survive for long periods when drought and water restrictions keep it from receiving water. When not receiving water, EMPIRE will go off color but continue to grow thanks to underground rhizomes. When the water returns, EMPIRE quickly greens back up.
Marketed by Sod Solutions, Inc., the world’s leading turf grass development and marketing company, EMPIRE Turf, once established, is more drought tolerant than most varieties of zoysiagrass. In some instances, once naturalized to the local climate, EMPIRE requires minimal irrigation. It is as hardy as it is attractive, with a deep, thick root structure. In addition, slower vertical growth, plus natural chinch bug and chemical resistances, means that an EMPIRE lawn will require less maintenance, mowing and water than with other types of warm season grass.
Reduced maintenance needs and durability are EMPIRE’s hallmarks. Its Brazilian heritage helps it thrive in harsh tropical climates, but it also exhibits excellent cold hardiness. EMPIRE is one of the few grasses rated to perform well in all zones and can flourish in varying soils and climatic conditions.
Approved by the Florida Green Building Council and with a proven track record in the state, EMPIRE Turf has been installed at more than 20,000 homes in the Sunshine State, including the Green Builder Vision House Orlando, a model of natural resource preservation and one of the country’s first Green Demonstration Homes and Exhibits.
