SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/369217
www.stma.org September 2014 | SportsTurf 31 roadsides. Healthy grass is an aesthetic asset and a growing body of scientific evidence points to positive environmental and health contributions from lawns and other turf- grass areas. While turfgrasses are typically thought of for recreation and aesthetic value, they also provide a valuable environmen- tal service by preventing soil erosion. As a permanent vegetative cover, turfgrass can reduce runoff from rainfall, improve soil absorption and infiltration of water, and filtering contaminates from polluted water. Furthermore, recent research indicates that turfgrass systems help rid the atmosphere of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which contribute to the global warming. To meet the nation's demands for water resources, the focus must be on how to use water more efficiently without sacrificing environmental quality. This objective can be achieved through proper selection and installation, and integrating turfgrass man- agement practices which accentuate a plant's natural ability to survive, despite a tempo- rary deprivation of required resources (e.g. nutrients and water). The Best Management Practices (BMPs) for turfgrass water conservation can be employed by all levels, from the well trained turfgrass professional to the homeowner. The BMPs are basic agronomic tools which will improve the overall health of the turf- grass plant and, in turn, will condition the grass to better withstand seasonal and pro- longed drought. A few BMPs specific to turfgrass water conservation are: BMP 1 – ProPer turfgrass selection Selecting the proper turfgrass is perhaps the most important factor in planning, planting, and maintaining a lawn for water conservation. A properly selected grass species or cultivar is more likely to thrive and need fewer inputs (e.g. water, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.). Turfgrass selection should be based on environmental conditions, turfgrass qual- ity or appearance desired, and maintenance requirements. Environmental conditions to consider include temperature and moisture, shade adaptation, soil pH and fertility. It is also important to realize that all turfgrasses have good and bad features. Thus, selection should be based on which turfgrass most nearly meets the criteria considered. Using grasses which have been genetically bred for an intended purpose or geographic region further enhances the turfgrass plant's ability to survive specific stresses. BMP 2 – soil aMendMent Improvement in either the chemical or physical characteristics of the soil can reduce turfgrass irrigation needs by enhanc- ing infiltration of rainfall, increasing soil moisture retention, and promoting deeper rooting to reduce water leaching beyond the rootzone. To improve water conservation, amending native soils prior to planting can be beneficial during the establishment pro- cess and for long-term sustainability of the landscape. The water and nutrient holding capacity of the sandy soils have different needs than clayey soils and, therefore, need to be modified or managed accordingly. Sandy soils have little moisture or nutri- ent holding capacity. While the addition of some clay can improve water and nutri- ent holding capacity, it makes the soil more prone to compaction under traffic and normal use. In general, changing textural (percent sand, silt, and clay in a soil) and physical characteristics are more difficult than modifying the chemical characteristics, yet, these changes can be made to improve soils for the purpose of water conservation. Furthermore, the organic matter content can have a tremendous affect on moisture and nutrient retention. You want deeper roots with more soil volume to explore for water and nutrients. Organic amendments improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil. They not only help the soil hold water and nutrients, they also improve water movement through- out the soil.