The Best Drought Tolerant Sod for 2022

Better Sod for Drought in 2022

Water Shortages and Sod Lawns

With changes in climate and increasing drought conditions, California homeowners are more and more worried about how these changes may impact their sod lawn. Water shortages are not new to California, so the concern for water usage and water savings is valid. Efforts to save water are notorious in California. In fact, the California Water Service reports savings of up to 9.2 billion gallons for California through strategies such as rebate programs. So, the need to save water is loud and clear. What does this mean for grass lawns? Thanks to university research, sod farms have been working to increase drought tolerance in new hybrid sod blends like never before. At Sod and Seed, Inc., we are proud to bring you these drought-tolerant sod blends direct from the farm! As always, we hope to carefully chose the sod that will best suit your needs and maintain its health while helping save water. 

Drought Tolerant Grasses

We have established that water is a valuable and limited resource, and we want to help you protect your sod investment with drought tolerant grasses that will help reduce your water usage while staying healthy. Our drought tolerant sod mixes and ground covers can require up to 30% - 60% less water than traditional turf types, both native and non-native. We also know that the process of refining our products to support sustainability and environmentally friendly practices doesn’t end, which is why we continuously study our sod blends. Our grass selection is cared for in order to perform better in conditions with reduced and limited water availability. This, in turn, helps us ensure that we can provide you with a lawn that you can get the most out of. 

Here are some of our sod samples being stress tested in simulated drought conditions. 

Certified Drought Tolerant Sod Selection

Many of our sod blends are certifiably drought tolerant. Most of our sod blends are Water Star Certified. Through the exposition of our sod performance ratings, we aim to help homeowners pick the best sod for their home. However, we offer sod blends with certifications beyond Water Star Certified grasses. For instance, our Enduro Dwarf Tall Fescue (a blend of 90% Dwarf Tall Fescue and 10% Kentucky Bluegrass) qualifies for the Turf Grass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) because of its water saving attributes. The TWCA is one of the most significant players in sod research. The TWCA combines their Research Review Committee and university researchers to ensure a careful review and evaluation process before assigning products research based TWCA qualifications. All certifications are evidence based and validated through recognized institutions. With the use of technology and various trialing types, rest assured your research based TWCA certified sod will be high performing! We also offer other highly drought tolerant choices such as our Delta Tall 9010 or Bolero Plus, with high-performing ratings of 8/10 on drought tolerance. 

Kurapia, the Drought Tolerant Champion!

On the topic of certified drought tolerant grasses, we cannot overlook the opportunity to highlight Kurapia, the drought tolerance champion! Kurapia is a new, innovative alternative ground cover that closely resembles grass. It can save you up to 60% on watering. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to watch our video “Kurapia Sod Testing by Sod and Seed, Inc.” which showcases Kurapia’s amazing drought tolerance capabilities. In addition to being a drought tolerance champion, Kurapia also never has to be mowed, blooms seasonal flowers and is a great choice to consider not just for water savings but also for low maintenance and aesthetics. 

Drought Tolerance and Aesthetics

As much as we may want to choose a lawn only for its drought tolerant traits, we should also choose a turf type for its aesthetics. When we say aesthetics, we don’t just mean how good it’s going to look, though, that is important, too! We also refer to the lawn's ability to serve its purpose of providing a safe and natural area. For instance, if your lawn investment is for your family, then ensuring your lawn will be soft, preferably green year round, healthy and in good conditions for play is essential. Not just because it will look good, but because it will be good and provide a natural area for many uses. This is why our sod types are selected for both appearance and ability to maintain overall health. Beautiful, water-wise lawns are a trend that is here to stay! Homeowners, it is possible to conserve water and still have a beautiful, green lawn. Our sod selection offers healthy and drought tolerant sod types such as our Kurapia, Delta Tall 9010, Bolero Plus, and Enduro Dwarf Tall Fescue. Let's review what we’ve covered. 

Drought conditions are increasingly prevalent and for lawn owners, a drought tolerant sod is a high priority. At Sod and Seed, Inc. we believe in the ever-evolving process of learning and improving our products, especially those that will help save water. This is why we offer a sod selection with grass types that will be both healthy and drought tolerant with Water Star and TWCA certifications. With options such as Kurapia, our Delta Tall 9010, Bolero Plus and Enduro Dwarf Tall Fescue, rest assured you can have a beautiful, healthy lawn that will save water. Which water-saving lawn appeals the most to you? Our friendly sales representatives are happy to assist you in choosing the best sod for your lawn and just a phone call away at (925) 435 - 7874. We hope to hear from you soon!