So, you already know you want to use Endurant turf colorant because you've seen the great results in professional sports, on social media and/or on a neighbor's lawn. But, you're not sure which of the Endurant colorants to choose.
Which Turf Colorant is Best for You?
Brad Driggers of
Geoponics, the makers of Endurant, shares some tips on selecting the best colorant for your grass species. Driggers offers suggestions based on desired outcomes, stages of growth and other deciding factors.
First, we divide the colorants into categories of paints and pigments
. Paints are full coverage and thus can be used on turgrass that goes completely brown or dormant
. Pigments are only used on grass that has some chlorophyll still in the leaf
. Our newest product, Endurant Flex, can be used in the transitions between browning dormancy and greening up of springtime
, as well as for other in between times and places. (More on that later.)
"Keep in mind that color choice sometimes is reflective of what an individual likes in the color green, so there may be multiple options that would work well for a specific grass," says Driggers. "Some customers like it darker, and some like it more towards the yellow side of green," he added.
Paints: Choosing the Best Turf Colorant for Full Coverage
Endurant has three main grass paints in the line of turf colorants:
- Endurant Perennial Rye (PR) is the lightest or subtlest, and still provides full coverage, as all the paints do.
- Endurant Fairway (FW) is the Brightest
- Endurant Premium (P+) is sometimes perceived as the most versatile and is of a medium tone.
All colorants in the Endurant line have a natural look and even the cooler shades do NOT fade to blue (like some brands)
. The paints can last up to three months depending on rate of growth, mowing frequency and other variables
. Endurant fades on tone to maintain a natural looking grass with its organic pigments and powerful binders made specifically for adherence to turf grass.
[caption id="attachment_1437" align="alignleft" width="600"]
Available shades of Endurant Turf Colorant options prior to the brand new Endurant Flex, the only hybrid colorant with the benefits of a pigment and a paint.[/caption]
Choosing the Best Turf Colorant for Warm Season Grasses
Bermuda grass
Endurant Premium would be the best fit for the bermudagrass type, suggest Driggers. However, Endurant Fairway is a common choice among many customers with this grass, especially for those who want a darker outcome.
As Jennifer Seevers has called this effect, Endurant Fairway can provide a "see it from the moon look," which customers either love or are trying to avoid as they seek a more subtle effect.
"Keep in mind there are many, many types of Bermuda grasses but uniformly, the color to go with is either Premium or Fairway," says Driggers.
St. Augustine
The most natural color for St. Augustine grass is Endurant Perennial Rye.
Zoysia
There are many different types of Zoysia and Endurant Premium is the most commonly used color on this grass. Also, Endurant Perennial Rye can be used on Zoysia grasses as well.
Centipede
The best color for centipede grass is often Endurant Perennial Rye. However, if the customer would like it a shade darker, then Endurant Premium would look great on this grass as well.
All of these grasses above are warm season grasses, meaning, they will go dormant in the winter months.
Choosing the Best Turf Colorant for Cool Season Grasses
The next grasses on the list will be cool season grasses. So they will stay green in the winter months.
"We actually have many customers who paint cool season grasses but for a different reason than warm season grasses that go dormant in the winter months," says Driggers.
"Cool season grasses typically struggle, and go off color in the summer months, due to stress," he explains. "Also, we paint cool season grasses just for added color," he said
.
Cool season grasses are often treated with paints or the Endurant pigments (TE and Flex) to minimize usages of toxic chemicals, reduce fertilizer usages and the harmful effects of their runoff
. Colorants on cool season grass may also reduce water demands, even if not as dramatically as when paint is used instead of overseed.
Perhaps most of all, whether it's on warm season or cool season, pigments or paints, Endurant provides TV-ready, tournament ready, wedding grade aesthetics all year long
.
Here are the best color options for these cool season grasses.
Fescue
Endurant Premium is probably the most natural fit color but Endurant Fairway is also a nice choice for a darker option on fescue.
Bluegrass
Endurant Fairway is the most natural color for bluegrass, but again Endurant Premium can be used as well if a lighter shade is desired.
Ryegrass
Ryegrass is used all over the country to overseed many warm season grasses. However we do paint Ryegrass a lot. Color choice for this grass is all over the map. Perhaps the best way to choose is to think of the current color and how much you want to add to it
, remembering Fairway is brightest; PR is moderate; Premium is a bit darker than PR and is considered one of the most versatile shades of colorant.
Bentgrass
As far as painting Bentgrass it is not done very often, but if you had to pick a color that best suits Bentgrass, I’d probably go with Endurant Premium, suggests Driggers.
Pigments: Choosing the Best Turf Colorant for Actively Growing Grass
Endurant Turf Enhancer
As for Endurant TE, this is our pigment type product. It is used on all grass types to enhance actively growing turf. Only use Endurant TE when there is some chlorophyll in the plant
.
Endurant Flex
Endurant Flex is the new hybrid product that is perfect for transition times. It is a hybrid paint and pigment combination adding the benefits of both
.
So when warm season grasses start losing chlorophyll, and start to go off color, this is when Endurant Flex is best used.
"From what I’ve seen with this product, it is best to apply right before the grass starts to go off color," says Driggers
.
It is also a great choice in the spring when turfgrass is heading out of dormancy
.
Whether choosing TE or Flex, these pigments will increase spring time green up not just by adding the colorant, but also by warming the surface just subtly enough to increase growth
.
Still have questions? Contact Geoponics today for a color consultation. 1-877-ECO-GROW We'll get you in touch with a technician as soon as possible.
Ready to choose your color and buy Endurant Turf Colorant?
Contact your distributor, such as your nearest landscape supply company
. Or, contact your sales representative
. Don't have a sale rep yet? Contact
Geoponics directly
. Either purchase on
ShopGeoponics.com or at our
Amazon store. Or call 1-877-ECO-GROW and we'll get the best Endurant turf colorant for you
.
Endurant is applied on sod farms, home lawns, sports fields, dormant turf, golf courses and just about anywhere grass grows
.
