The Effects of Aquasmart Coated Sand Products on Turfgrass Establishment and Growth.

One of the major challenges facing the turfgrass industry is limited availability of water for irrigation. Two important strategies to conserve water use in the turfgrass industry are implementation of water-saving practices and products and improvement of turfgrass drought resistance. AquaSmart Enterprises, LLC currently markets a super-absorbent, coated sand product to the turfgrass industry with the statement that their product can increase water holding capacity and reduce water use on turfgrass areas. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of AquaSmart polymer coated sand products on turfgrass establishment and growth. The study was conducted at the Oklahoma State University Turfgrass Research Center in Stillwater, OK in 2014. AquaSmart was tested in newly seeded bermudagrass to evaluate germination, root growth, and soil moisture and in newly sodded bermudagrass and well-established bermudagrass turf to evaluate turf quality, root growth, and soil moisture. For this study, plot size was 2 x 2 m and treatments included: untreated control, one rate of topdressing sand, and 4 rates of AquaSmart. Percent living coverage, soil volumetric content, root volume and total dry root weight for all seeded, newly sodded, and established sod plots was collected. Results will be discussed.