On this episode of Turfgrass Epistemology, Dr. Dan Sandor joins me to break down his study that addresses one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of turf establishment: how much water should you really apply when seeding a new lawn?

Sandor et al. (2021) evaluated daily irrigation at 50%, 75%, 100%, and 125% reference evapotranspiration (ETo) to determine how quickly tall fescue and bermudagrass cultivars reach full coverage. The big takeaway? Applying more than 100% didn’t help, and drought-resistant cultivars didn’t show any special advantage during establishment.

In this video, we discuss:

    💧 Why 100% ETo is the sweet spot for seeded lawn irrigation.

    🌱 Why drought resistance in mature turf doesn't translate to faster establishment.

    📉 How less water can slow you down but not necessarily fail you.

    🧠 What this means for homeowners and professionals trying to balance establishment with water conservation.

📄 Paper discussed: Sandor et al. (2021), Irrigation requirements for establishing seeded tall fescue and bermudagrass cultivars in the transition zone

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