DLF | The Grass Booklet INTRODUCTION DLF offers a wide range of professional sports, amenity & lawn mixtures with the best varieties and species for all the challenges of today's market The development of a new amenity grass seed variety is a long-term commitment that demands patience, expertise, and clear foresight. From the earliest stages of selection through to commercial availability, no less than 15 years are required to breed, trial, and refine a single new lawn variety. The varieties featured in our current portfolio are therefore the direct result of the vision our breeders had more than a decade ago. At that time, they anticipated the changing demands that modern amenity turf would face. Reduced inputs have become the norm, with turf managers expected to achieve high-quality surfaces using less fertiliser, fewer mowing operations, and reduced water availability. Alongside these pressures, expectations for performance have increased: improved disease tolerance, stronger resistance to wear and tear, finer leaf texture, greater sward density, and year-round visual quality are now essential requirements rather than optional benefits. To ensure each variety meets these expectations, species and cultivars undergo extensive testing at trial sites across the world. These trials expose grasses to a wide range of climatic conditions, soil types, maintenance regimes, and stress factors. The data collected provides invaluable technical and qualitative insight into establishment speed, persistence, tolerance to drought and low nutrition, recovery from wear, and resistance to key diseases and pests. This guide has been developed to bring that knowledge together in a clear, practical format. It is designed to support customers, consultants, and turf professionals in selecting the most appropriate varieties for their specific applications. Alongside varietal characteristics, it also includes guidance on the most common amenity turf diseases and pests, helping users make informed decisions that deliver sustainable, high-performing turf surfaces now and into the future. 2
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