Public attention is being increasingly focused on the environmental impact and management costs of turfgrass areas such as lawns for schools, parks, and homes. The objectives of this study were to: (i) identify grass species adapted to low‐input environments (limited water, no fertilizer or pesticides after establishment) in the North Central Region (NCR) of the USA; and (ii) evaluate these species for turfgrass quality under mowed and non‐mowed conditions. Low‐input turf trials of 12 grass species were established at eight locations and evaluated for turf quality over two years. Plots were mowed monthly at either 5.1 or 10.2 cm or not mowed. Hard fescue (Festuca brevipila Tracey), colonial bentgrass (Agrostis capillaris L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), and sheep fescue (Festuca ovina L.) performed well at most locations at the 5.1 and 10.2‐cm mowing heights. Several other species were also evaluated: tufted hairgrass [Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.], hybrid bluegrass (Poa arachnifera Torr. × Poa pratensis L.), meadow fescue [Schedonorus pratensis (Huds.) P. Beauv.], prairie junegrass [Koeleria macrantha (Ledeb.) Schult], crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.], alkaligrass [Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Parl.], blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. Ex Kunth) Lag. Ex Griffiths], and crested dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus L.).

Dollar spot (DS), caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F. T. Bennett, can be a difficult disease to control in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). The objectives of this three‐year field study were to: (i) assess the influence of two spray volumes (468 and 1020 liters of water per ha); and (ii) evaluate the impact of the presence or absence of dew at the time of application on the ability of chlorothalonil, propiconazole, and a tank mix of chlorothalonil and propiconazole to control DS in fairway‐height creeping bentgrass. Chlorothalonil provided better DS control when applied to a dry canopy after 12:00 h, when compared to AM applications. Chlorothalonil generally provided better DS control when applied in 468 versus 1020 liters of water per ha; however, there were no rating dates when chlorothalonil provided more effective DS control when applied in 1020 liter/ha. On several 2004 rating dates, chlorothalonil applied in the AM with dew displaced provided better DS control than the AM application with dew present. The presence or absence of dew and the two spray volumes assessed did not affect the level of DS control provided by propiconazole or a tank mix of propiconazole and chlorothalonil. The amount of AM dew present in the canopy ranged between 982 and 2,548 liter/ha. Chlorothalonil performance likely was reduced as a result of being diluted or washed from foliar surfaces in the high spray volume or diluted by dew. Since both fungicides performed well when applied in 468 liters of water per ha, golf course managers can use the lower spray volume to save time, labor, and fuel.

Bermudagrasses, Cynodon sp., periodically sustain freeze damage in the transition zone for warm‐ and cool‐season turfgrasses. Therefore, there is a need to develop and characterize bermudagrass cultivars with superior freeze tolerance. Our objective was to determine relative freeze tolerance levels of recently released cultivars, advanced lines, and standard cultivars from the 2002 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program bermudagrass trial using laboratory‐based methodology. Twenty‐seven seed‐propagated cultivars were randomly divided into five groups with Arizona Common and Riviera serving as standards in each of the five groups. Tifway and Midlawn were used as standard cultivars for the three vegetatively‐propagated groups. A range in freeze tolerance from ‐5.3°C (cv. SWI‐1003) to ‐8.7°C (cv. CIS‐CD6) was observed for seed‐propagated cultivars. The most freeze tolerant seed‐propagated cultivars were CIS‐CD6, Riviera, Transcontinental, and SWI‐1014. Freeze tolerance of vegetatively‐propagated cultivars ranged from ‐6.2°C (cv. GN‐1) to ‐11.5°C (cv. OKC 70‐18). OKC 70‐18, Ashmore, and Patriot were comparable or superior to the standard vegetatively‐propagated cultivar Midlawn, reflecting potential to survive in the northern boundary of the transition zone with a low probability of winterkill.

sand-based rootzones are specified for golf course putting greens because they resist compaction and maintain drainage, even under heavy traffic. Although sands provide favorable physical properties, nutrient retention is generally poor and soluble nutrients like nitrogen (N) are prone to leaching. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate several inorganic soil amendments (clinoptilolite zeolite (CZ), diatomaceous earth, and two porous ceramics), which varied in cation exchange capacity (CEC), and sphagnum peat for their ability to limit N leaching. Columns (35 cm tall × 7.6 cm diameter) were filled with 30 cm of sand-amendment mixtures (8:2 v/v) and NH4NO3 was applied in solution at a N rate of 50 kg·ha-1. Leaching was initiated immediately using 2.5 pore volumes of distilled water in a continuous pulse. Leachate was collected in 0.1 pore volume aliquots and analyzed for NH4+-N and NO3--N. All amendments significantly decreased NH4+ leaching from 27% to 88% which was directly proportional to the CEC of the amendments. By contrast, NO3- losses were consistently high, and no amendment effectively decreased loss compared to nonamended sand. Two amendments with the highest CECs, CZ and a porous ceramic, were selected to further study the effects of amendment incorporation rate, depth, and incubation time on N leaching. Ammonium but not NO3- leaching was decreased with increasing amendment rate of both products. At 10% amendment (v/v) addition, only 17% to 33% of applied NH4+ leached from the amended sands. Depth of amendment incorporation significantly affected NH4+ leaching, with uniform distribution through the entire 30 cm tall column being more effective than placement within the upper 2.5 or 15 cm. Allowing the NH4NO3 to incubate for 12 or 24 hours following application generally did not affect the amount leached. These results suggest NH4+-N leaching is inversely related to CEC of the root-zone mixture and that uniform distribution of these CEC enhancing amendments in the root-zone mixtures reduced N leaching to a greater extent than nonuniform distribution.

Mowing remains one of the most energy‐intensive cultural practices in maintaining a turf sward. Turfgrass systems can become a larger net C sink if mower emissions are reduced. Establishing slow‐growing turfgrasses has been proposed to reduce mowing requirements. Traditional recommendations for home lawns are to mow by the “one‐third rule” and return grass clippings. However, their impact on annual mowing requirements remains largely unknown. This study aimed to determine (i) the number of required mowing events when mowing weekly versus using the one‐third rule; (ii) the influence of returning grass clippings on mowing requirements, dry matter yield (DMY), and leaf tissue N (LTN); and (iii) how turfgrasses with differing growth rates influence mowing requirements, DMY, and LTN. The one‐third rule decreased mowing requirements by 31% (approximately eight mowing events yr−1) and returning grass clippings added approximately two additional mowing events yr−1. Tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Durmort., nom. cons.; Festuca arundinacea Schreb.] required more annual mowing events than Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.)(nine and three more in 2012 and 2013, respectively). Tall fescue had a greater 2‐yr cumulative DMY than Kentucky bluegrass (875 vs. 522 g m−2). Growth rate (i.e., cultivar) also affected annual mowing requirements and yield: the faster the growth rate, the more annual mowing events. Leaf tissue N concentrations were higher when clippings were returned and with slower‐growing cultivars. Mowing by the one‐third rule and selecting slower‐growing cultivars of turfgrass species adapted to a particular location can reduce annual mowing requirements and subsequent mower emissions.