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USU expert: choose low‑water grasses, smart controllers and higher mowing to cut lawn water use
Summary
Dr. Kelly, Utah State University Extension turfgrass specialist, told a Division of Water Resources webinar that species and cultivar choice, smart irrigation technology and maintenance changes can reduce lawn irrigation by tens of percent — and that some low‑water varieties and project demos have halved on‑site water use.
Dr. Kelly (professor and extension specialist, Utah State University) told attendees that turf is a plant that provides cooling and stormwater benefits but that selection and management matter for water use. She said different turf species and varieties have “wildly different” evapotranspiration and drought tolerance and noted that crested wheatgrass and some warm‑season varieties can survive without supplemental irrigation once established.
The USU researcher described long‑running trials using rainout shelters and drought treatments to compare varieties and said a Salt Lake City demonstration that transitioned turf to a low‑water seed mixture reduced annual irrigation at the site by about 50 percent while also lowering mowing needs. “We conducted lots of trials to identify varieties that perform best in Utah,” she said, describing both chronic (reduced irrigation) and acute (no supplemental irrigation) stress tests at USU’s research farm.
Kelly urged homeowners and managers to adopt both low‑tech and higher‑tech practices. Low‑tech steps include fixing overspray, checking system pressure, cycling irrigation to prevent runoff and conducting annual irrigation audits; USU audits with smart‑home monitoring found average single‑month reductions of about 30 percent after a water check. Higher‑tech options she highlighted include soil‑moisture sensors, frost/rain shutoffs and smart Wi‑Fi controllers; in USU evaluations climate‑based controllers cut water use roughly 35–51 percent and Wi‑Fi controllers 29–55 percent in trial comparisons.
On maintenance, Kelly advised mowing at the higher end of recommended ranges to deepen roots and increase drought resilience and recommended limiting nitrogen fertilization to no more than 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet per year to avoid creating high‑water‑use leafy growth. She also encouraged attention to soil health and potassium/iron as situational supplements.
Kelly reviewed research on irrigation timing: day vs. night irrigation showed tradeoffs—windier daytime conditions raise drift losses, while nighttime irrigation can have higher evaporative demand—so she recommended avoiding irrigation during windy periods and letting local weather inform schedules. She closed by pointing attendees to a newly released USU fact sheet on training turf for drought resilience and USU Extension resources.
The webinar recording and follow‑up links (including low‑water species lists and controller rebate information at slowflow.org) will be emailed to participants; hosts said the event series continues monthly.
