smart controllers

For the past several years, we have partnered with the Metropolitan Council on the Reducing Water Use on Twin Cities Lawns through Research, Education, and Outreach project. Recently, the Metropolitan Council earned a national award for Excellence in Promoting WaterSense Labeled Products from the U.S.

By Gary Deters

The summers of 2021-2023 presented significant challenges for those managing lawns or turfgrass with drought conditions, extreme temperatures, and a lack of rainfall. Many homeowners likely relied heavily on underground irrigation systems to maintain healthy grass or to follow municipal odd/even watering restrictions. Even smart irrigation systems with rain sensors, soil sensors, or weather-based controllers allowed irrigation based on weather and soil conditions due to the lack of rain.

By Gary Deters

The Turfgrass Science team will be at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair starting this Thursday, August 26 through Labor Day, September 6.

By Shane Evans

For those of you who don't know, the Irrigation Association has deemed July as Smart Irrigation Month. According to their website, “Smart Irrigation Month is an Irrigation Association initiative celebrated throughout July to promote the social, economic and environmental benefits of efficient irrigation technologies, products and services in landscape, turf and agricultural irrigation” (Irrigation Association, 2020).

This video is a recording of a webinar we conducted on July 28, 2020 as part of the Twin Cities Lawn Irrigation Efficiency Study funded by the Metropolitan Council and the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. We also have a PDF of PowerPoint slides from the presentation.

Please join the Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota Turfgrass Scien

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.

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to grow a healthy lawn with less water?  A free,