For several years now, we have been promoting the benefits of TifTuf Bermuda, and it’s obvious that many customers have recognized the enhanced values of this grass variety. In only six years, the network of TifTuf growers across the country has produced over one billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b“) square feet of TifTuf sod!
Sunrise over a field of TifTuf Bermuda at our Super-Sod farm in Fort Valley, GA. Photo by Jesse Milner, Outside Sales at Super-Sod of Middle Georgia.
But what does one billion square feet of TifTuf really look like?
The typical sod roll measures 2 feet wide by 5 feet long for a total of 10 square feet. That means that one billion square feet is made up of 100,000,000 individual rolls!
This pallet of TifTuf Bermuda has 50 rolls - just need 99,999,950 more to get to a billion!
- Laid end to end, those rolls would stretch 500,000,000 linear feet – or the equivalent of 94,697 miles! The circumference of the Earth at the equator is 24,901 miles. So you could place those sod rolls end-to-end and literally circle our entire planet three times and still have enough left over to lay a strip of TifTuf turf wide enough for 3 golfcarts (the golfcart version of the Cannonball Express) coast to coast - from New York to Los Angeles.
- Speaking of New York city, one of the most iconic buildings in the United States is One World Trade Center, standing a skyscraping 1,776 feet tall. If we were to take those 100,000,000 rolls of TifTuf and balance them end-to-end straight up (granted that would take some serious talent) how high would they go? Well, you would need 281,531 World Trade Centers stacked on top of one another to reach the last sod roll.
- TifTuf Bermuda was a new sod variety studied and released by the University of Georgia. How ‘bout them Dawgs! The 2021 college football National Champions certainly deserve a premium playing surface for their gridiron activities on Saturdays. With 6 home games each year, that one billion square feet of sod would cover Dooley Field at Sanford stadium with fresh turf before every home game for the next 2,893 years.
This new house has a beautiful, lush TifTuf lawn with seams filling in only two weeks after installation. Photo shared by Tamara Green, Super-Sod of Atlanta Store Manager.
TifTuf is growing strong at Super-Sod
Not that we want to brag (okay, maybe just a little) but a significant amount of that 1 billion square feet of TifTuf sod was harvested at our Super-Sod farms.
For many years, even decades, Tifway 419 Bermuda was the standard bearer and the variety by which all other bermudagrass varieties were measured. But that is no longer the case. If we look back five years, 2017 marked the first time in our company’s history that TifTuf Bermuda sales actually outpaced Tifway 419 sales. And every year since then, our TifTuf sales have increased.
Take a look at the following chart:
In terms of actual volume:
- We harvested almost three times as many square feet of TifTuf in 2021 as we did in 2017.
- We now harvest over 6 pallets of TifTuf for every 1 pallet of Tifway 419 we produce.
- Our TifTuf sales in 2021 were greater than our Tifway 419 sales in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined. Amazing!
In essence, Tifway 419 is a traditional but aging steam locomotive and TifTuf is a Tesla.
TifTuf Bermuda is ready for tailgating at Mercedes Benz Stadium's backyard. This area definitely gets heavy traffic and TifTuf is up to the challenge! Photo by Super-Sod of Forest Park employee, Clark Vernon.
Simply the Best
But what has put TifTuf Bermuda on this trajectory to becoming so popular? Why do we call it a “game changer“ in the sod industry? Consider the following TifTuf facts...
- Drought tolerant - uses 38% less water than Tifway 419
- Better overall turfgrass quality and aesthetics under drought conditions than any other Bermudagrass
- Superior in color and density to Tifway 419
- Better shade tolerance than other Bermuda lawns
- Excellent resistance to traffic and recovery from wear and tear
- Quicker spring green up and better color retention into fall than other bermudagrasses for improved visual appeal
Simply put, TifTuf is just a better product, and its attributes make it far more environmentally friendly and less problematic to maintain than other Bermudagrass varieties. Whether your next project includes a home lawn, athletic field, or commercial jobsite, choose TifTuf Bermuda – you’ll be glad you did!
The header photo was sent to us from Prestige Landscape Group, Cartersville, GA.