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Introducing Michael Barnes, Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Psychology

By Michael Barnes

Hello, everyone, I’m Michael Barnes, a Postdoctoral Researcher who started on July 1st. I’ll be working on a number of research projects during my appointment.

What weeds are commonly found in roadside turfgrass areas in Minnesota?

By Dominic Christensen

When most people think about weeds they probably think about plants in an abandoned field or on a roadside, but what is a weed? A weed can be defined as a plant that does not belong in a particular place. Different people have different perceptions and ideas of what should and should not be in a place so some weeds we included in this list are certainly not considered a weed by some. So, then why do roadsides have a lot of weeds?

Turfgrass irrigation research at the UMN Landscape Arboretum

By Shane Evans

The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is home to several model landscapes, gardens and research projects.  With funding from the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, Turfgrass Science team members, led by Dr. Dan Sandor, now at Virginia Tech University, installed an experiment to determine the effectiveness of various smart irrigation controllers and technologies in 2019. The purpose of this article is to give a brief introduction of the project and what we hope to learn from it.

All flesh is as grass: Field Day is canceled

By Eric Watkins

The mortality of mankind, along with University restrictions, have together brought us to the decision to cancel the every-other-year University of Minnesota Turf and Grounds Field Day that was to be held in August. This is the first time we will have not hosted a field day since the halcyon days of 2019.

Webinar series - Growing a Healthy Lawn with Less Water

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to grow a healthy lawn with less water?  A free, five-part webinar series from the Metropolitan Council and University of Minnesota Turfgrass Science team wants to help answer that question. 

University of Minnesota Turfgrass team in the media – 6/11/2020

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work!  We have two articles to share.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: AMF and their interactions with turfgrass species

By Florence Sessoms

In the first part of this series, I described what arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are and how they can benefit plants. In this post, I will discuss how AMF might benefit turfgrasses. Cool-season and warm-season grasses are both able to be infected with mycorrhizal fungi.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: tiny friends with big impact

By Florence Sessoms

Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) are soil microorganisms able to form mutualistic symbiosis with most terrestrial plants. Spores that are present in soil germinate, infect the root system, and form arbuscule structures inside the cells (Figure 1). Arbuscules are the site of nutrients exchange between the plant and the fungi. Another characteristic of this symbiosis is the presence of a large mycorrhizal network around the root system.

Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrass course - now hosted by UMN Extension!

Haven’t had a chance to take our Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrass course yet?  You still can!  The course has moved and is now being hosted by University of Minnesota Extension.  Keep reading to find out if the course is for you.

Fine fescue forensics

By Eric Watkins and Yinjie Qiu

Fine fescue research has progressed rapidly in recent years, spurred by greater interest in low-input turf and the availability of funding for improving these grasses. While giving talks to various groups about lawn grasses for Minnesota, we often follow the introduction of fine fescues with a refrain similar to “they all look very similar”: translation “don’t ask me how to tell the fine fescues apart!”.

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