Turf Wars Battle Thirsty Lawns and Weekly Mowing with New Species. Chuck Ingels UC Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County Harvest Day

Transcription

1 Turf Wars Battle Thirsty Lawns and Weekly Mowing with New Species Chuck Ingels UC Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County Harvest Day

2 River-Friendly Landscaping A whole systems approach to gardening and landscaping that works to support and protect our waterways Landscape locally Landscape for less to the landfill Nurture the soil Conserve water Conserve energy Protect air & water quality Create & protect wildlife habitat

3 River-Friendly Turf Species Most Desirable Characteristics Low water-using Reduced mowing frequency Competitive against weeds Reasonably priced or cost effective Also (preferably): ØTolerant of foot traffic ØGreen year-round minimal dormancy

4 River-Friendly Turf Species Can we adapt to tradeoffs? Problems with conventional lawns: ØAvailability and cost of water ØAir quality an increasingly important issue ØPesticide & fertilizer runoff to creeks Tradeoffs: Can we adapt to them? ØWinter or summer dormant period ØIncreased initial cost lower cost later

5 Standard Turf Species Bermudagrass Kentucky bluegrass Perennial ryegrass Red fescue St. Augustinegrass Tall fescue

6 Turf species best adapted to most California conditions Species Bermuda K. blue.* Per. rye* Red fescue* St. Aug. Tall fescue Heat Tolerance Drought Shade Traffic High High Low Low Low Low Low Mod High Mod ModMod high *May have higher tolerance for heat when blended. Low Mod Low High High Mod Season High Warm Mod Cool High Cool Mod Cool Mod Warm ModCool high Source: UC Guide to Healthy Lawns

7 Turf Demonstration Project Florin Creek Park (7460 Persimmon Ave., Sac.) Compare 3 species/blends ØTall fescue / Kentucky bluegrass blend Ø UC Verde buffalograss ØCarex praegracilis / Carex pansa (sedge) Under 3 irrigation treatments Ø80%, 60%, and 40% ET Evaluations: ØMowing frequency, clipping weights, visual evaluations, and amount of water used

8 Evapotranspiration (ET) Tells you how much water plants use Calculation of: ØEvaporation of water from soil ØTranspiration of water from leaves Reference ET: found at ipm.ucdavis.edu and Multiply by species factor for grass type: ØCool-season = 0.8 Warm-season = 0.6 Run time = ET x factor x precip. rate x 60

9 Watering Times Simplified Sacramento Valley Minutes per week to irrigate if your hourly sprinkler output is: Warm-Season Turf Cool-Season Turf JUN JUN JUL JUL AUG AUG Source: UC Guide to Healthy Lawns

10 Preparing Soil Irrigation system Rototill Compost / fertilize Rototill Rake & roll

11 Turf Plots Planted Sept Buffalograss One irrig. valve across 3 species

12 Tall Fescue Blend Commonly used

13 Alternative Turf Species UC Verde buffalograss Carex (sedge) species Calif. native grasses

14 UC Verde Buffalograss

15 UC Verde Buffalograss Released in 2003 Bred for Calif. climate by UC researchers Grows to 4-6 tall; spreads only by stolons Infrequent mowing: 2-3 wks. to once a year Dormant (brown) in winter Water use: 50-75% less than tall fescue and blue-grass, 40% less than bermudagrass Disease, insect resistant less chemical use Few or no seedheads very low pollen count

16 UC Verde Buffalograss Planted in Fresno in July 2 weeks 4 weeks UC Verde plugs 6 weeks

17 UC Verde Buffalograss Turf demo project Florin Creek Park October Spreading by stolons September After planting

18 UC Verde Buffalograss Turf demo project Florin Creek Park June Completely filled in April Weedy from planting in Sept.

19 Carex Species Used for Turf C. praegracilisfield sedge C. pansa Dune sedge C. texensis Catlin sedge -better for shade? Sedge family (like nutsedge) triangular stems & seeds

20 Carex praegracilis Mowed or Not Mowed May overwhelm an area

21 Carex Species Used for Turf Carex pansa and C. praegracilis C. pansa C. pansa often shorter than C. praegracilis Plug C. praegracilis

22 Carex C. praegracilis C. pansa

23 Carex Turf Species Characteristics Native throughout U.S. and Calif. Most in trade from dunes in Central Calif. Very drought tolerant Use plugs - inconsistent stands from seed Subject to rust disease in wet winters Available through Hedgerow Farms, Native Sons, etc.

24 Rust on Carex Feb C. pansa C. praegracilis Rust disease during wet winters; C. praegracilis worse than C. pansa

25 Calif. Native Grass Turf Relatively new concept; still developing Most are drought tolerant Less mowing required? Generally more expensive seed Available in seed, plugs, and sod ØPacific Coast Seed, Delta Bluegrass Co., Hedgerow Farms, etc.

26 Calif. Native Grasses for Turf Seeding Rates More Testing Needed Seeding rate: 1.5 to 3.0 lbs. pure live seed per 1,000 sq. ft. ØHigh rate for closer mowing & filling in quicker ØLower rate for smaller seeds

27 Approx. Costs for Turf Materials

28 Native Grasses (Same irrigation system) Seashore bentgrass (Agrostis pallens) Hall s bentgrass (Agrostis hallii) Molate red fescue (Festuca rubra Molate ) Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa) June grass (Koeleria macrantha) Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)

29 Native Bentgrass Agrostis Oct A. hallii (plugs) A. pallens (seeded) July 2011

30 Festuca rubra Molate Molate Red Fescue Fine texture, rounded growth Tolerant of many soils Native of coastal areas Good lawn, but much mowing

31 Deschampsia caespitosa Tufted hairgrass Range & pasture species Used for restoring prairies, stabilizing disturbed sites Also used as ornamental Prefers moist soils Tufted hairgrass Molate red fescue

32 Bouteloua gracilis Blue Grama (a.k.a. eyelash grass) AKA Eyelash grass Used in landscapes Fully dormant in winter

33 Koeleria macrantha Junegrass Small, upright when not mowed Does not tolerate heavy, wet soils Not suitable for high-traffic uses Leaves shred when mowed

34

35 Native Grass Meadow

36 For More Information Turf demonstration project» UC guide to healthy lawns» No-mow fineleaf fescue grasses» (#8391) River-friendly seed, plugs, & sod:» Hedgerow Farms, Cornflower Farms, Pacific Coast Seed, Florasource, Delta Bluegrass Co., Native Sons Nursery