How do we improve lawn soil health by adjusting mower deck height? Can adjusting your lawnmower deck from three inches to four or more inches save you time and energy? Is genetically modified turfgrass in the future of your lawn?

Extension Turfgrass Specialist Dr. Mike Goatley of Virginia Tech (Dr. Turf) talks with Jeff Ishee and Eric Bendfeldt about emerging and applied research in turfgrass and lawn management including developments in turfgrass breeding. For overall lawn care and health, Dr. Goatley recommends adjusting the lawnmower deck height upwards starting on Memorial Day and until Labor Day to encourage root growth and prevent weed seed from getting established, particularly for less drought-tolerant cool season grasses. Testing your soil is a critical first step for improving and building soil health. Mike also emphasizes how an annual application of a quarter inch of compost as part of a maintenance regimen can help with lawn health by adding organic matter and being a slow-release source of needed nutrients.

For additional information on turfgrass and lawn management, please visit the Virginia Tech Turfgrass website at https://turf.spes.vt.edu/ The National Turfgrass Evaluation Progam and database on the performance of different turfgrass species can be accessed at https://www.ntep.org/. Information about 2023 - 2024 Virginia Turfgrass Variety Recommendations can be found at https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/spes-518/spes-518.html

Learn more about the Virginia Soil Health Coalition and pledge your support for soil health at https://www.virginiasoilhealth.org/ and https://4thesoil/take-the-pledge

4 the Soil: A Conversation is made possible with funding support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Agua Fund. Other partners include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; Virginia Cooperative Extension; Virginia State University; Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and partners of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

Disclaimer: Views expressed on this podcast are those of each individual guest.

To download a copy of this, or any other show, visit the website 4thesoil.org. Music used during today’s program is courtesy of the Flip Charts. All rights reserved. 4 the Soil: A Conversation is produced by On the Farm Radio in collaboration with Virginia Tech. The host and co-hosts are Jeff Ishee, Mary Sketch Bryant, and Eric Bendfeldt.