Is Turf Bad?
Proper Irrigation,
Moderation Key
When it comes to balancing the need to save water versus the desire of consumers who want lush green lawns, “drought tolerant turf” comes to mind. So should proper irrigation and the key word “moderation.”
The term “drought-tolerant turf” sounds like a classification. And it is (loosely), but drought tolerance has also been a relative term pertaining to traditional sod types for many years (i.e., “high,” “medium” drought-tolerance, etc.) in comparing common turf grasses.
To help clarify things, think of the term “drought-tolerant turf” as being like “fuel-efficient cars.” Vehicles at the top of the fuel-efficiency scale don’t appeal to most consumers because of other factors that, ironically, are what make them so fuel-efficient. Meanwhile, mainstream vehicles on average are more fuel-efficient than ever, and getting better every year. But what makes a sustainable fuel-efficient vehicle is more a matter of how it’s driven and taken care of.
John Marman, regional sales manager for West Coast Turf in Palm Desert, points out the germane focus. “People should be more concerned about having a low-water-use lawn than a ‘drought-tolerant’ lawn,” he says. “The number-one request is still for a year-round, green lawn. But people are more environmentally conscious now, and are developing a mindset that’s more open to alternatives to the way things were done before we faced water shortages.”
Alternatives come in different forms but all lead to the same objective: doing something different, more efficient, better — in order to cut water use in landscapes.
“The goal is to end up with an enjoyable, useful yard that uses as little water as possible,” says Jody Sheffield, a career research and development consultant for Delta Bluegrass Company. “In the final analysis, if you aren’t applying water properly, it doesn’t matter what kind of sod you choose.”
“Probably one of the biggest things we all need to do, landscape contractors and sod producers alike, is provide a certain level of customer education as part of the process,” Sheffield says. “Consumers are increasingly aware of how important water conservation is, and are increasingly concerned about their own contributions. But a lot of it is just basics: what times of day to irrigate and for how long; having a clock on the irrigation system; etc. And much of a lawn’s success has to do with choosing the right turf for conditions and its intended use.”
Basic considerations include:
- Purpose. What is it mainly for? To match the neighbor’s grass and look nice? To be able to take a beating during weekly volleyball tournaments? Etc.
- Soil. Clay? Sandy? What is the impact from past applications of soil amendments? How are the nutrients?
- Sunlight/shade. Will the turf be mostly in the sun or shade? Are there trees and shrubs growing that could change the sunlight conditions over time?
- Level of maintenance. How much work will be required to keep it up?
“We encourage removing turf from the front yard altogether and reducing turf areas in the backyard to a manageable size — just what you need it for,” says Jon Alsdorf, principal of JRA Landscape Contractor, Inc., in Fresno. “Reducing turf areas allows you to do more things, like making front yards more wooded, more of a retreat so to speak.”
As to customer acceptance of so-called “drought-tolerant turf” (marketed as an alternative to traditional sod), Alsdorf says it’s not very popular. “They simply don’t like how it looks. It’s not their vision of a lawn. So, they would rather achieve the same or better water savings by going to a smaller area of lawn and doing a better job of managing it.”
“It’s good to treat yourself to a little in moderation.”
Mike Garcia of Enviroscape, Inc., comparing having turf to eating an ice cream sundae.
Irrigation: Thinking Outside The Box
Mike Garcia compares having turf to eating an ice cream sundae. “It’s good to treat yourself to a little in moderation,” he jokes. “But let’s try to minimize the area and improve the irrigation.”
Garcia’s company, Enviroscape, Inc., was featured this April on A&E’s Fix This Yard, where Garcia demonstrated the underground drip irrigation system — for turf — in an 800 square foot patch.
“One of the most important things — if not the most important — is to use the best irrigation methods possible,” Garcia says, “and to expand our thinking to allow for new possibilities and applications. At one time it wasn’t really practical to think of using drip irrigation for turf. But now, with improved technology and smaller turf areas, we have a bigger range of choices for how we can more efficiently water them.”
But in many cases, the basics are simply being missed. “The proper management of irrigation is an easy fix,” Alsdorf notes. “I don’t bat an eye when I tell people that we can cut their landscape water use down to 25 percent just by undoing all the over-watering.”
The Future Of Drought-Tolerant Sod
“Because homeowners, etc. are overall much more aware now, and especially with the rising cost of water, they’re very interested and want landscape contractors to offer alternatives that help the environment and save money,” notes John Marman. “Obviously, the way to deal with the drought issue is with drought-tolerant grass and plants that need relatively little water.”
The sod industry, like car makers, continues to invest in research and development to more closely align environmentally proactive products with mainstream consumer acceptance. Delta Bluegrass Company is actively involved in multi-year turf studies with U.C. Davis and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and has submitted a proposal to the city of Portola Valley to install “alternative turf” around the new town hall building, in part as a way to gauge public response to it.
| Selecting The Right Turf | Plant Type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bermuda | Zoysia | Tall Fescue | Bluegrass | RTF | ||
| Hybrid | Common | |||||
| Drought Tolerance | Very High | Very High | Very High | Good | Fair | Very Good |
| Cold Tolerance | Fair to Good | Fair to Good | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | |
| Heat Tolerance | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair | Excellent | |
| Shade Tolerance | Poor | Good | Fair to Good | Fair to Good | Good to Excellent | |
| Maintenance Level | Medium to High | Medium | Low to Medium | Medium | Medium | |