Fine fescue

By Michael Laskowski

Have you ever wondered where all the salt goes after the snow and ice melts from the roadsides and sidewalks? It turns out, most of the salt runs into the storm drain, but some salt will end up along the roadsides and boulevards in green areas.

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. 

By David Herrera

NASA scientist Cristina Milesi estimates that there is three times the amount of turfgrass in the United States as there are acres of irrigated corn [1]. When we consider that the rate of grass seed density required for turf can be up to 6 lbs per 1000 sq.ft, one can imagine the enormous quantity of seed needed to plant all that turf! Most of that planted grass seed is, at least here in the Midwest, Kentucky bluegrass. However, there is a grass genus that has gained interest and may one day be used just as much or more as Kentucky bluegrass. These newcomers are in the genus Festuca, and are commonly known as the fine fescues.

Fine fescue turfgrass species are excellent alternatives to provide functional turf areas while reducing inputs of water, fertilizer, mowing, and pesticides.  Eric Watkins recently received a $5.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to identify ways to facilitate adoption of these fine fescues on private and public landscapes.

By Dominic Petrella

Before I came to the University of Minnesota I had never actually seen a fine fescue golf green in person.  I’ve always had the impression that fine fescue species could only produce a suitable greens surface in climates similar to Ireland, the U.K., or the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.  Recent research, however, is helping me to realize that fine fescues could be suitable for golf greens in Minnesota (or similar Midwest locations) that want a lower input option.

By: Jonah Reyes, Research Scientist

By Sam Bauer

The 2015 Cultivar Evaluation Results are now available and published online.  To view these results, click the “Cultivar Evaluation Results” tab under the Research section on the left of this webpage.  Clicking this link will initially bring you to the 2015 data page, but you can view archived data from 2007-2013 as well.  Study labels are preceded by the date in which that study was planted.  For example, “2011 NTEP Kentucky bluegrass” was established in 2011, but you will be viewing the most recent data if you are in the 2015 tab.

How to use the results:

via @StarTribune

By Sam Bauer