Overseeding in winter used to be impossible. But SOS has changed that. Sports pitches are used day in, day out, so it is not surprising that they are badly damaged in winter. By the end of the playing season the sward of many pitches is completely ruined.  

About SOS

Barenbrug originally developed SOS in 2006 and introduced the concept in the United States, where it immediately became an immensely popular product for use in sports pitches. After its introduction, SOS rapidly spread across the whole world. The great success of SOS is evident from the favourable reviews it has received.

For example, in 2010 SOS was used as a remedy at the World Cup in South Africa. In less than no time the pitches were covered in grass and the matches could be played on a beautifully smooth sward. 

SOS is also very popular among first-division clubs: an awful lot of overseeding is done in winter in particular. And that’s not surprising, considering the high quality of the pitches.

Winner of innovation award

In 2009 Barenbrug won the innovation award at the Dutch Sport Facilities Demonstration Day. The award was presented during the total trade fair for sports, games, recreation and public spaces at the Papendal national sports centre. The award is intended for innovative products or services for sport facilities, sport and playground equipment and recreation. This once again goes to show what a great impact SOS has had on the world of sports.

Click here to read more about SOS winning the innovation award.

Instant grass at low temperatures

SOS is the ideal solution for fast recovery of your sports pitch. Your pitch will take half the time to recover after overseeding and can be played on throughout the entire playing season, even at low soil temperatures. SOS will germinate and rapidly establish at temperatures as low as 4°C. So once a pitch has been overseeded it will recover very quickly and the playing season can be extended with extra playing hours.

Click here for more information about overseeding at lower temperatures.

Growing Degree Days

Growing Degree Days are commonly used in agriculture to determine the best time to harvest or fertilise a crop. The method is also very useful for predicting the development of weeds in a crop. It can be used for this purpose in grass, too. Research carried out by Barenbrug has shown that grass varieties may germinate at either low or high temperatures within the usual germination period. SOS, which is suitable for overseeding, was found to germinate the earliest of all the tested varieties.

SOS vs Annual meadow grass

When light green patches appear on a sports field, the groundsman knows the score: annual meadow grass! If annual meadow grass is left to grow, it will become dominant in the field within three years. Newly laid out sports fields in particular are a target for annual meadow grass. SOS is an excellent product, especially in the winter months as it germinates at a temperature as low as 4 °C. This is sooner than annual meadow grass, which germinates at around 8 °C. SOS is therefore another serious challenger of annual meadow grass.

Click here to read more about Annual meadow grass.

SOS leading technology

Currently so-called tetraploid varieties are on the market as alternatives to annual ryegrasses for turfgrass purposes. Tetraploids are naturally fast growers, but the ability to germinate at temperatures as low as 6 ºC and speed of establishment of the SOS annual key variety is still unrivalled in laboaratory testing. 

Click here to read more about the SOS test!

Extending the playing season


Overseeding with SOS can substantially extend the playing season. A pitch that is overseeded early in the season will retain a good grass cover. Pitches can then be used more intensively than in the past. SOS drastically increases the number of playing hours, in some cases even by a hundred additional hours a year.

Restoring a sward after the winter

Winter damage suffered by your sward can be effectively repaired with SOS. Swards can be overseeded with SOS early in spring already, enabling you to obtain a dense grass cover within a few weeks even under cold conditions. You can of course overseed an entire pitch, or just bare patches to save costs.

Often copied, never equalled

We are being copied all over the world. Cheap imitations are shamelessly marketed and are claimed to have been “developed” within a few months after the introduction of our products, such as our SOS.

For more detailed information about SOS, click here!

Testimonials

“Frequent overseeding with SOS will ensure a permanently smooth sward”

Erwin Beltman, groundsman Stadion Feijenoord

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

“I just couldn’t believe my eyes.”


John Gozeling, Gozeling Landscaping, Velserbroek

“SOS burst straight from the soil.”


Henry de Weert, groundsman FC Twente, 
Enschede, The Netherlands

“The establishment rate was a great surprise.”


Jean-Louis Lange, SC Cumavaux, Villiers-le-Bouillet

“SOS is the perfect remedy.”


Ian Fulp, managing-director of Kodiak Parks and Recreation, Alaska