Zurich creeping perennial ryegrass is a fine-leaved variety that also exhibits high resistance to insects and nematode attack due to naturally high endophyte levels, as well as good persistence and a creeping growth habit that aids sward recovery.
Creeping perennial ryegrass
Zurich now features as standard in three of Germinal’s landscaping grass seed mixtures; A3 Embankments and Drought, A18 Road Verge & Embankments and A19 All Purpose Landscaping (see below for full specifications). “A3 has traditionally been the industry’s go-to seed mixture for stabilising embankments due to its high percentage of creeping fescues and bentgrasses which bind the soil together,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity sales manager for Germinal GB. “The addition of Zurich gives this popular seed mixture the added benefits associated with a perennial ryegrass: speed of establishment, the ability to germinate in colder temperatures, and the ability to rapidly recover from damage caused by excessive wear.
For A18 and A19, the addition of Zurich further enhances the ability of these creeping ryegrass mixtures to recover from wear with minimal intervention. “Zurich exhibits an excellent creeping habit, which binds manufactured soils together quickly and effectively thereby preventing gully erosion and loss of soil. It’s ability to self-regenerate gives added protection during the winter and slowly helps damaged swards to repair themselves with minimal additional physical intervention. It also makes the improved seed mixtures more effective in cooler temperatures at the beginning and end of the growing season.”
Amenity grass seed online
Germinal’s landscaping seed mixtures can be ordered online from the company’s website, which also contains all the information landscape architects need to optimise the performance of their amenity facilities: the website includes complete specifications and usage guides for Germinal’s Grade ‘A’ range of landscaping grass seed and wildflower mixtures for everything from low maintenance reclaimed land to saline road verges, shaded habitats, fine lawns and an array of natural habitats. All product details can be easily cut and pasted into external documents, making it simple for landscape architects to insert them directly into the appropriate project specification.
“As well as constantly investing in research and development to bring first class grass and wildflower seeds and turf care products to the landscaping sector, we are also conscious of the constant need to provide the industry with the latest news and advice,” Richard Brown adds. “Our website has, therefore, been developed to make it easier for new and existing customers to keep abreast of our developing range of products and to enable them to specify the most appropriate products to suit each site’s individual requirements. “We’ve populated the site with a collection of advice guides and video resources covering a range of useful topics from simple over-seeding and sowing ‘how-to’ guides, to more detailed explanations of the importance of key success factors such as soil pH, the use and application of macro and micro nutrients and how to physically manage recently renovated and established swards and amenity landscapes.”
The site also contains a selection of standardised fertiliser plans – written and designed by Germinal’s FACTS (Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme) qualified experts – to enable everyone from novice gardeners to professional turf growers to get the best results from their amenity facilities. The site also features a ‘Product Selector’ tool that has been designed to make it as easy and simple as possible for landscape architects to find the most appropriate grass seed or wildflower seed for each project’s specific needs. A range of CPD resources and seminar details has also been added: landscape architects can contact their local Germinal technical specialist who will be happy to visit them to provide more detail on a range of topics such as how to establish and maintain wildflowers and understanding the latest plant nutrition protocols.