Vegetatively Propagated Turfgrass

Special Requirements and Standards

Application Due Date

An original field inspection application shall be submitted within ten days of planting any field that is intended to produce certified sod or sprigs. Applications for subsequent growing seasons are due on March 15. Late submission of applications may be cause for their refusal or assessment of a late fee.

Source of Propagating Material

Verification of the source and eligibility of planting material used to establish a crop shall be either an invoice detailing the variety, certified class, lot number and quantity purchased or a Certified Sod certificate containing the same information. Growers using material from their own production shall submit a signed statement containing the relevant information.

Certification of Over-seeded Areas

Production from areas with a current seasonal over-seeding of another kind, the seed of which met certified seed standards, may be certified providing the over seeded area is eligible for certification based on an inspection conducted within 45 days preceding the date of over-seeding. Such over-seeded areas that are not sold as certified over-seeded production shall be inspected and approved for certification after the over-seeding disappears and before sale as certified production. Remnants over-seeded plants shall be removed by roguing or application of approved herbicides before an area will be eligible for certification as pure turf (not containing over-seeding.)

General Field Standards

Land History

Land planted for the production of any class of certified vegetative turf must be free of all other annual and/or perennial grasses.

Length of Stand

There shall be no limit on the length of time that a field shall be eligible for production of any class of sod unless the owner or developer stipulates a maximum period of eligibility.

Unit of Certification

An applicant’s entire production surface of all varieties or species under certification shall be subject to inspection as a unit. Partial fields may be approved or disapproved at the discretion of the inspector.

Roguing

Fields for certification shall be rogued during the growing season to remove annual or other perennial grass varieties and non-typical or off-type plants or areas as well as weeds.

Isolation

Fields for certification must be separated from grasses of another kind or variety by a distance or barrier that will prevent mechanical mixing during harvest and encroachment by vegetative or seed-dispersal means.

Field Inspection

Fields submitted for certification will be subject to inspection within four weeks after planting and up to three times during the season when there is sufficient growth to allow identification of other varieties and kinds of perennial and annual grass species and off-type plants or areas. Applicants may be requested to cease mowing for a period sufficient to allow flowering. Applicants will be given refunds on application fees only if the agency is notified before making the initial inspection of the season..

Specific Field Standards

The maximum permitted frequency of off-type plants of any description or noxious weeds in fields producing any class of certified vegetative turf is:

Sod Standards

No off-types, other varieties or kinds or noxious weeds are permitted to be observed in the cut sod or sprigs of any class of certified vegetative turf.

Labeling Vegetative Turf

All sales of certified vegetative turf shall be accompanied by appropriate certification documents to be supplied by the certifying agency, completed by the applicant and provided to the buyer. A complete record of the certified vegetative turf sold must be supplied to the certifying agency, including field identification, variety and class, harvest date and quantity sold.