Sporobolus virginicusSeashore Dropseed

Where the irrigation water is brackish and the soil is sand, Sporobolus virginicus is one of very few grasses that will still make a sward. It is a low creeping perennial of tropical and subtropical coasts worldwide, spreading by rhizome into a dense mat of stiff blue-green blades.

It has been trialled and used across the Gulf as an amenity and stabilisation turf under saline irrigation, which is the single strongest argument for specifying it.

Specifications

• Height0.15 to 0.4 metres
• WidthSpreading indefinitely by rhizome
• Native toTropical and subtropical coasts worldwide, including the Arabian Gulf
• FoliageStiff, narrow, blue-green blades held in two ranks on creeping stems; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilGrows on sand, saline and sodic soils and on disturbed coastal ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established and tolerant of saline irrigation
• ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and hot coastal regions

Additional Features

• UsesCoastal turf, dune and embankment stabilisation, saline-irrigated amenity grass and land reclamation
• SpacingPlant 6 to 9 plugs per square metre, or establish from stolon sprigging
• Low MaintenanceMow or leave unmown as the scheme requires; needs no feeding on reasonable ground
• Pest ResistanceGenerally untroubled
• Salt ToleranceAmong the most salt-tolerant turf grasses available, growing where seawater influences the water table
• Drought ToleranceDeep rhizomes carry the sward through extended dry periods
• Erosion ControlA dense rhizome mat that holds loose sand and stabilises cut batters

Seashore Dropseed is the turf answer where salinity is the governing constraint, and there are very few alternatives to it.