Paspalum vaginatumSeashore Paspalum

The Paspalum vaginatum, commonly known as the Seashore Paspalum, is a warm-season creeping turf grass of tropical and subtropical coasts worldwide. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes into a fine, dense, deep green sward with a soft texture and an unusually tight growth habit.

Its defining property is salinity tolerance: it will hold a playable, presentable turf surface under brackish and even seawater-blended irrigation, which is why it dominates Gulf golf and resort specification. It is used for golf, sports and amenity turf on saline sites and where irrigation water quality is poor.

Specifications

• Height0.02 to 0.1 metres as maintained turf
• WidthIndefinite, spreading by stolons and rhizomes
• Native toTropical and subtropical coasts worldwide, on saline sands and estuarine margins
• FoliageFine, deep green leaf blades on a dense creeping sward; evergreen under warm conditions
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilAccepts saline, alkaline, sandy and moderately heavy soils; tolerates poor drainage better than most warm-season turf grasses
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; tolerates brackish and blended seawater irrigation, which is its principal advantage over other turf species
• ClimateThrives in hot coastal, tropical and subtropical regions; goes off colour in cool weather

Additional Features

• FormFine, dense, tight creeping sward that closes quickly and takes close mowing
• UsesGolf fairways, tees and greens, sports fields and amenity turf on saline sites, resort lawns, coastal landscape turf
• SpacingEstablished from stolons, sprigs or turf rather than from spaced plants
• Low MaintenanceNeeds less fertiliser than most warm-season turf, but requires regular mowing and periodic thatch management
• Pest ResistanceGood general resistance, with the usual warm-season turf disease pressure under excess nitrogen
• Salt ToleranceExceptionally high, the highest of any commercially used turf grass, and the reason it is specified across the Gulf
• Drought ToleranceGood once established, recovering quickly from stress through its rhizome system
• Environmental BenefitsAllows amenity turf to be irrigated with saline, brackish or recycled water, reducing demand on potable supply

The Seashore Paspalum is the turf grass that makes saline irrigation water usable, which in Gulf conditions is the whole argument.