Manatee County sod farm unveils new St. Augustine grass blend designed to reduce pest and disease risk

BRADENTON, Fla. - A Manatee County sod farm has developed a new type of St. Augustine grass designed to better withstand Florida's climate, diseases and even pests. 

Bayside Sod introduces Fusion grass

What they're saying:

Bayside Sod in Manatee County has spent years working on Fusion, a blend made from four different varieties of St. Augustine grass.

Fusion was developed by Nick Greene, a Manatee County native and University of Florida graduate. 

Tiffany Bailey, president of Bayside Sod, said the blend is unlike any commercially available St. Augustine sod. Combining four distinct cultivars provides plant diversity, which reduces the overall risk from pests and disease.

"What makes it unique there is that by having those four blends, you get two really key things when you get diversity and you get adaptability. So, diversity because you have those four cultivars, those different varieties blended together.

We all know their strength and diversity. We tell people, like, think about your investments. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. So, by having those four varieties, each has its own unique strength and characteristics, and there’s just less risk when you had the diversity of four varieties versus one variety. And then you get that adaptability because there’s four varieties it’s suited to go in different types of environment[s] and adapt over time.

So, it doesn’t only thrive in one type of environment if one lawn has more shade than the other. That’s going to be fine if one has more sun or foot traffic, this grass can adapt and really get better over time as it grows into that landscape," Bailey said. 

St. Augustine blend fights lethal plant diseases

Why you should care:

While Fusion is not 100% bug or disease-proof, the blend provides greater protection than single-variety sod. Notably, tests show it has not displayed any susceptibility to lethal viral necrosis, a disease known to destroy St. Augustine lawns across Florida.

"If there’s a pest disease that comes in… certain grasses are more susceptible than others, so, by having that diversity, it just lowers your risk of something coming in and taking out that whole bond. Now, it’s not bulletproof by any means, you still need to care for -- not just set it and forget it, but because you have that blender, the different varieties, the risk is just going down, and you have a lot more chance for you to be successful with having a nice lawn," Bailey said. 

"We do think this is unique. We think there is nothing like it right now, and we think it could be potentially game-changing. Up until this point, all the grasses that are grown are monoculture, they are one variety.  Up until this point, no one has done this for St. Augustine grasses, so we are excited to kind of be the first to market with it." Bailey said. 

Five generations of agricultural roots

The backstory:

Bailey's father founded Bayside Sod in the 1980s. Her family brings a five-generation history in agriculture to the business, with a continued focus on sustainable farming practices.

"I wanted to be able to make a sustainable company and remain in agriculture, just to keep those roots grounded in what kind of got me here. At the same time, I’ve wanted to be able to adapt and provide a product that can really help them market, we believe. So, this is a great opportunity for us to kind of put our stamp on things," Bailey said. 

Commercial availability and field expansion

What's next:

Harvesting for Fusion grass will begin in November and take a few months. Following the initial harvest, Bayside Sod plans to expand production by planting another 50 to 60 acres of the field in Manatee County.

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