Thanks to one of the hottest UK summers on record and despite some fairly heavy downpours, many greenkeepers are facing some tough challenges as they work to restore playing surfaces from September onwards. 

BAR Salt & Drought is a specialist grass seed blend that can offer significant benefits for medium-fine turf on golf courses or in a range of landscape applications. Golfers are still making the most of the last few long days of the season and mild temperatures, yet renovation is often front of greenkeepers minds.

Incorporating a specially selected blend of perennial ryegrass and 30% hard fescue, BAR Salt & Drought is an innovative solution offering high tolerance to both drought and coastal areas with high salinity. Some of the benefits it offers include:

• Exceptional dark green colour under parched conditions
• Superb shoot density and strong wear tolerance
• Significant all-round disease resistance.

Hardtop, the hard fescue cultivar used exclusively in BAR alt & Drought is extremely tolerant to stress such as drought, and also extremes of both hot and cold temperatures.   Dr David Greenshields, Barenbrug research and development manager, says: “If a drought tolerant grass is not used in vulnerable areas, the first thing to colonise bare areas is annual meadow grass.

“This species will quickly die off as soon as drought pressure is applied again next year.  By renovating these areas with BAR SALT & DROUGHT, grass cover is much more likely to be retained in the future, providing more consistent and playable surfaces throughout the year.”

BAR Salt and Drought was launched last year following extensive research and development trials at Landlab in Italy and King William’s College on the Isle of Man.

www.barenbrug.co.uk