Marathon™ Sod
Original Marathon
Ideal for recreation and family use. Families choose Original Marathon (Marathon I) for its all-purpose maximum durability.
Daily activity levels
Durable and hardy
Fast injury recovery
Can take up to 40% shade
Coarse texture
Medium green year-round
Mow between 2 ½’” and 3 ½”
All-purpose maximum durability
Marathon II Sod
Good Balance: Beauty and Easy Care. With its slightly more refined appearance and high durability, Marathon II is a very popular.
Weekend activity levels
Good injury recovery
Can take up to 25% shade
Mow between 2’’ and 3’’
Medium/coarse texture
Medium-dark green year-round
Beauty and Easy Care
High durability
Marathon III Lite Sod
Most beautiful appearance with least mow clippings. Marathon III is the state-of-the-art dwarf fescue combining slow growth and a rich, dark green carpet-like appearance.
Low activity levels
Slow injury recovery
Can take up to 10% shade
Mow between 1 ½’’ and 3’’
Substantially reduced clippings
Medium/Fine texture
Dark green year-round
Pureblue Lite
Improved elite bluegrass blend. Requires knowledgeable care to maintain refined appearance.
Dense medium-fine texture
Elegant appearance
Green year-round
Best in moderate coastal areas
Requires well-drained soil
Does not tolerate salinity
Often used for indoor pet “potties”
Ryeblue Lite
Sod is grown hydroponically, resulting in a much higher plant density than field-grown sod.
80% Pureblue
20% Perennial Rye
Very similar to Pureblue
Slightly lighter color vs. Pureblue
Overall glossier appearance vs Pureblue
Green year-round
Higher disease resistance vs. Pureblue
Lite sod is cut 60% larger
Greenwave
GreenWave is a creeping red fescue. This species is often seen on unmowed slopes.
Used in ornamental areas
Mounding ground cover effect
Relatively shade tolerant
Cut to 2 inches for a traditional turf appearance
Not as durable as the Marathon® varieties
Recommend to areas where high shade will not support Marathon
Dark green year-round
St. Augustine
Native to the southern United States where humid conditions do not permit cool-season lawn varieties to flourish.
Very coarse
Thick-stemmed runners
Used where shade tolerance is priority
Considerable thatching
Dormant in winter
Requires concrete containment borders
Very shade tolerant
Tifgreen
Hybrid Bermuda. Excellent as athletic field or recreational turf. Often seen on golf course putting greens.
Very dense low growing
Fine textured
Attractive manicured look
Becomes dormant in winter
Develops thatch
Requires concrete borders for containment
Great for recreation
Zeon Zoysias
Zoysias are warm-season grasses and use a minimum 25% less water than cool-season turf. Zeon has the added benefit of sustaining itself in up to 75% shade.
Beautiful dark green color
Medium fine texture similar to bluegrass
Durability
Low water use
Low fertilizer use
Can be mowed higher
Great wear resistance and recovery
Sustainable new lawn variety
When deciding which Marathon Sod variety is best for your home, it’s important to know Marathon I, II and III have progressively slower growth rates. The distinction is most obvious between Marathon I and III. Marathon III grows much slower, resulting in fewer clippings and allowing less frequent mowing.
While this is an important advantage, it can also be a disadvantage. Think of turf as a self-renewing surface and growth rate as the speed of the renewal process. Slow growth results in more time needed for recovery from injury or disease. This means that if Marathon III is damaged it will show the brown spot longer.
If the lawn is going to be subject to a lot of play, traffic or adverse growing conditions, then the faster growing Marathon I and II are better suited. Where usage is light and appearance and fewer clippings are top priorities, go for the Marathon III sod variety.