Centipede grass, the most widely used lawn grass in the southeast United States, has something of a romantic history. It was first introduced in this country around 1918. Centipede grass is a native of China and was of great interest to the United States Department of Agriculture because it required little fertility and maintenance.
Around 1918, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a Dr. Meyer, a plant explorer, to China in search of plants that might be economically useful. Tragically, before his return home Dr. Meyer was killed by Chinese bandits. His suitcases arrived in the U.S. where a collection of seeds was found, including a packet of Chinese centipede grass seeds. That packet of seed was sent to a USDA experimental station near Savannah, Georgia. Samples were later sent to various stations in Florida and Georgia.
In the early 1920's, Jack Renfroe, a young man from Quitman, Georgia had the opportunity to participate in sending the plants and seeds of those particular centipede grass to the various other experiment stations. Renfroe took four sprigs of the grass to his father, Mr. Riley Renfroe, who had a 400 acre farm near Quitman. Three of those sprigs survived and were planted in a pasture near the home place.
In 1950, Ray Jensen, a soil scientist for the USDA, visited the Renfroe farm to make a soil survey. Although 96 years old, Mr. Riley Renfroe wanted to accompany Jensen in the survey. That evening the two settled down to a wonderful southern dinner and that is when the story of the centipede grass on the Renfroe farm was told.
Ray Jensen had just finished building his home on 20th Street in Tifton, Georgia. Mr. Renfroe insisted he take a pickup load home with him for his yard. When Jensen had planted all the grass, a quarter of the lot was still not complete. Jensen contacted a friend of his, Dr. Glenn W. Burton, of the Tifton Experimental Station. Burton had done some work on centipede seed production. He gave a quarter pound of centipede seed to Mr. Jensen. Jensen finished his yard and the following year, he contracted Mr. Renfroe to produce centipede seed from the 40 acre pasture he had developed from just three live sprigs of the Chinese grass. Ray Jensen had a vision to produce and sell this wonderful grass and seed and offer it as a foundation to southern homes and businesses. He first founded Southern Turf Nurseries and later Tifton Seed Farms where he was later joined by his son-in-law Charles Rainey.
From China to Washington, DC, to Savannah to Quitman, GA to Tifton, GA to Chauncey, GA to the entire southeast, one small packet of seed and three live sprigs have contributed to the pounds of centipede seed produced on farms in south Georgia and planted on lawns and ornamental turf areas around the world.
Heritage Turf Farms of Chauncey, Dodge County, Georgia continues as a family tradition of grass production. Charles Jensen Rainey, owner and operator, inherited his knowledge of grass from his father, Charles Rainey, and his grandfather, Ray Jensen. Heritage Turf Farms offers a wide variety of top quality lawn and turf grasses as well as centipede seed.