Fine fescue
Tarping out creeping Charlie: An herbicide‑free backyard experiment
By Gary Deters
One of the most common questions we receive from homeowners is how to manage or remove creeping Charlie (ground ivy) from their lawns. It’s an incredibly difficult weed to remove, especially when a homeowner prefers not to use herbicides.
Where can I see what this type of lawn looks like in person?
By Jon Trappe
We often speak to people about the benefits of improved cultivars, species, or mixtures, and a common question by those looking to learn more is where can they go see and feel these in person. Below are two areas where folks can come and see maintained demonstration plots that are signed and open to the public.
Which grass should you choose? Check out our plots at the fair to help decide!
By Andrew Hollman and Kristine Moncada
We often get questions about which grass to buy for a home lawn. There are several different options for cool-season turfgrasses grown in Minnesota; which you choose will depend on your site, how you use your lawn, how much maintenance you want to do, and maybe even aesthetics.
New research publication from our team - 9/19/23
Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Ross Braun, Eric Watkins, Andrew Hollman, Aaron Patton has been published in the journal Crop Science. This research demonstrates that fine fescues are truly low-input as they require less fertilizer and pesticides, while maintaining turf quality, compared to traditional turfgrass species.
Braun, R. C., Watkins, E., Hollman, A. B., and Patton, A. J. 2023. Assessing the fertilizer and pesticide input needs of cool-season turfgrass species. Crop Science, 63:3079–3095. [Open Access].
New research publication from our team - 9/18/23
Learn more about our research! A new, open access article by Florence Breuillin-Sessoms, Dominic Petrella, Nancy Ehlke, Donn Vellekson and Eric Watkins has been published in the journal Crop Science. This article discusses the research in which several cultivars of Chewings, hard and strong creeping red fescue were interseeded with spring wheat to examine the potential of this method for seed production in northern Minnesota. Unfortunately, this cropping system did not seem optimal for fine fescue seed production so more research is needed.