Turfgrass Certification Program

The South Carolina Turfgrass Certification program is administered by the Department of Plant Industry, formerly the Department of Fertilizer and Seed Certification Services.  This program consists of a set of standards that were designed to promote turfgrass purity.  The standards which must be met by all Certified Turf producers include rigid requirements on planting stock, land history, equipment clean-out, weed management, sampling, and labeling.

Department of Plant Industry field inspectors conduct three inspections per year on each field producing a class of certified turf  to detect off-types, other crops, and noxious or inseparable weeds.  Turfgrass fields are sampled at random and grown out to ensure the identity of the grass is being maintained.

All classes of certified turf  must carry an official certificate bearing the variety name and other relevant information. This is the farmer's assurance that the turfgrass is of the quality he expects from certified turf.