Lawn

By Dan Sandor

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work.  We have a podcast, a Yard and Garden post and a newly-revised Extension article!

WCCO’s Smart Gardens October 13 podcast features Jon Trappe, Mary Meyer and Jared Gamm who answer listeners' questions on gardening and lawns

UMN Extension's Yard and Garden blog features a post - Should I mulch? Or bag my leaves this fall? - by Jon Trappe

By Eric Watkins

I often get asked what I’d recommend for a good fine fescue mixture for Minnesota. I usually recommend a mixture of the three fine fescue species that are most readily available: hard, Chewings, and strong creeping red. The tricky part is determining the final components of a fine fescue mixture that will result in a high-performing turf.

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work.  We have a newscast segment, a video, several podcasts and an article!

WCCO’s Good Question: What Does This Extended Winter Mean for Our Lawns? featuring Sam Bauer

Beyond Beekeeping podcast interview by Mindy Holahan Peters featuring James Wolfin

Sam Bauer and Parker Anderson of the University of Minnesota have created an infographic that profiles different turfgrass species for use in Minnesota home lawns. This is a great resource to educate homeowners on the characteristics, maintenance, and recommendations of these grasses for specific uses such as under low maintenance or shade conditions. 

Turf Species for Minnesota Home Lawns infographic

By Jon Trappe

Many plant enthusiasts have observed difficulty planting some plant species around black walnut trees.  Black walnut trees naturally excrete chemicals into their environment to make themselves more competitive.  This negative plant-on-plant interaction is known as allelopathy, and is more common in multiple plant species than was once previously thought. 

Did you know that many Minnesotans with irrigation systems over-water their lawns?  University of Minnesota Extension and the Metropolitan Council have created a new educational video on home irrigation efficiency that illustrates how homeowners can save water, while still having a great-looking lawn.  This video features Extension Educator Sam Bauer and Professor Brian Horgan, and was produced by Gail Hudson of Gail Hudson Media and Mark Anderson of Creative Soul Video.

Here is an updated version of a blog post that was originally published on November 15, 2013.  Turf Extension Educator Sam Bauer has been interviewed about this topic in several great articles since then so be sure to check out the links at the end of the blog post!