Effects of Irrigation Regime and Establishment Method On Turfgrass Stand Quality and Weed Infestation.

A study was conducted to determine water use among four different methods of turfgrass establishment. Conventional dry seeding was compared to hydro-seeding, hydro-mulching and sodding (two different types of sod) for rate of establishment, percent cover and turfgrass quality under varying irrigation regimes. Treatments were set up as a 2x3 factorial with the factors being frequency (high and low) and quantity (low, medium, high) of irrigation. The experiment was conducted two times within the same season. Results indicated that both irrigation regime and establishment method significantly affected turf quality and weed infestation. No differences in turf quality between irrigation treatments were seen until 5 weeks post-establishment, at which point highest quality was observed with the frequent, high quantity treatment. This difference was seen throughout the remainder of the season for the first trial. In the second run of the study, quantity of water did not play a significant role in turf quality, but the more frequent applications yielded higher turf quality throughout the study. Throughout the first trial, the Kentucky bluegrass sod treatment achieved highest quality throughout the study while dry seeding was consistently lowest in quality. In the second trial, both sodded treatments were highest in quality at first, but the hydro-mulch treatment improved in quality significantly and was the best overall by the end of the study. Weed infestation was consistently lowest in the two sodded treatments for both trials and highest in the dry seeding treatment, regardless of irrigation treatment.