March 15, 2010
New turfgrass display garden at GTI
Thanks in part to funds from Landscape Ontario, a new display garden at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute (GTI) was created to provide a resource for turf managers, researchers and students. A total of 23 different cool season grasses were planted in 2009, along with the creation of a putting green with five separate sections. Warm season grasses will be planted in 2010. The purpose of this garden is to provide a study resource to examine the growth and survival characteristics of a wide range of turfgrass species under Ontario conditions.
New turfgrass cultivars are constantly being developed and tested, but often an existing species may be all that a turf manager requires for a specific application. These species are available, but not well known, and a location where they are grown side-by-side in Ontario does not currently exist.
The project will provide several benefits, including the establishment of a research/teaching site that would include representative plantings of a wide range of cool and warm season turf grasses; an educational resource for faculty, extension specialists, students, industry professionals and the general public; a source of mature and established plant material for greenhouse and student research projects; and a means of informal annual evaluation of the short- and long-term performance of various common and uncommon turfgrass species in southern Ontario.
New turfgrass cultivars are constantly being developed and tested, but often an existing species may be all that a turf manager requires for a specific application. These species are available, but not well known, and a location where they are grown side-by-side in Ontario does not currently exist.
The project will provide several benefits, including the establishment of a research/teaching site that would include representative plantings of a wide range of cool and warm season turf grasses; an educational resource for faculty, extension specialists, students, industry professionals and the general public; a source of mature and established plant material for greenhouse and student research projects; and a means of informal annual evaluation of the short- and long-term performance of various common and uncommon turfgrass species in southern Ontario.