(maximum tensile load and work required to tear sod) per the methods of Friell et al. (2017) and a categorical characterization of sod handling per methods of Gopinath et al. (2015), as well as turf quality and soil moisture. Purdue has a tensile strength device that we are currently using to conduct other research funded by USDA-AMS.


Results from this experiment will be incorporated into an extension publication on sod production, showcased at our turf field day, and also discussed at a future TPI meeting. A write-up of the project results will be published in Turf News. Further, results will be distributed via social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and be shared with peers through an open-access, refereed publication, and scientific presentations.


Irrigation Requirements and Consumer Preference for Six Diverse Landscapes in the Arid Western U.S. (2022-24, $9,450)


Home landscapes—of which lawns often comprise 50 percent or more of total area—provide numerous aesthetic, economic, environmental, recreational, sociologic, and psychological benefits to individuals and society. However, not all landscapes are equal in the benefits they provide and poorly designed and/or maintained landscapes can negatively affect the environment and be expensive to maintain. While only approximately three percent of all Colorado water is used to maintain urban landscapes, green landscapes and their irrigation (especially the lawn/ turfgrass part of landscapes) are a constant target of anti- turfgrass/green landscape groups—who lobby for lawn replacement and limitations on the size of lawn area in landscape codes. Further, lawns, parks, and golf courses are the first landscape areas targeted for water restrictions or irrigation bans during drought events.


Tere are numerous unintended consequences of restricting or banning lawn/landscape irrigation—of which these groups and governmental agencies are unaware (or refuse to consider) when implementing restrictions on turfgrass area, turfgrass species, and when instituting irrigation bans. Providing homeowners, government agencies, and anti-turfgrass/landscape groups with factual information on irrigation requirements of lawns and other parts of green landscapes can help them make better management decisions, and will better inform policymakers on the benefits of green landscapes and the relatively small amount of water needed to keep landscapes healthy. Unfortunately, information on total landscape water requirement is lacking in the western U.S.—especially measuring lawn water requirement separate from/and in contrast to the rest of the landscape (trees, perennials, shrubs). Tis project will document total landscape water


TPI Turf News September/October 2022


use—but also compare irrigation requirement of the lawn (including different turfgrass species) with the other elements of the landscape (trees, shrubs, perennials).


Six different “front yard” landscapes (each approximately 1600 square feet [148.645 square meters] in size; 800 square feet [74.322 square meters] of lawn, 800 square feet of mulched ornamentals) will be constructed. Each landscape will be identical in size but will differ from the others in turfgrass type (bluegrass, tall fescue, buffalograss), landscape plant species (trees, shrubs, perennials, groundcovers), or level of irrigation technology. Lawn area size will be identical in each “yard”—as will planting bed size.


Each landscape will be irrigated independently of the others—according to plant species’ needs and to provide acceptable/desirable plant vigor and aesthetics. Te lawns and ornamental beds in each landscape will be metered separately to allow comparisons within and between the individual yards. Wireless soil moisture sensors (developed by and manufactured at Colorado State University) will be distributed throughout the landscapes, having the potential to drive irrigation controllers for each landscape and their respective lawn and landscape components. Soil quality development over time under lawns and ornamental beds will be monitored using CO2


respiration/burst, soil amino-N, and aggregate stability.


Visitors will be encouraged to complete short surveys on preference for landscape type, enhanced understanding of the value of green landscapes and lawns, and knowledge gained during their visit to the gardens. Robotic mowing of the lawn areas will be demonstrated. Construction and maintenance costs of each landscape will be provided to visitors, along with plant lists.


An unusual—and perhaps controversial—aspect of this study is that one of the lawns will be synthetic. Te goal of including a synthetic lawn in the study is to document the true costs of installing and maintaining a synthetic lawn, and to demonstrate that synthetic lawns do not provide the environmental benefits/services that natural lawns do, including the synthetic lawns’ excessive heating effects of landscapes and potential negative impacts on soil health beneath the synthetic surface—and to demonstrate that synthetic lawns require considerable care to maintain their quality.


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