UC Verde Buffalograss: Sustainable Applications

October 6th - 10:30 am

Biography:

Tom Hawkins is president and owner of Florasource Ltd., a 24 year old horticultural supply firm providing young plants to growers and the landscape industry in the western U.S.A. ?????EUR??,,?EUR His company partners with Todd Valley Farms of Mead, Nebraska, and Takao Nursery of Fresno, California in the promotion and sales of a new generation of buffalograss cultivars that are climate specific, including ?EUR??,,????'??UC Verde?EUR??,,????'??? buffalograss from the University of California.

Course Title: UC Verde Buffalograss: Sustainable Applications

Course Description: UC Verde' Buffalograss, bred by the University of California at Davis for California's unique climate, has been demonstrated to use 75-80% less water than the traditional tall fescue lawns that make up the majority of turfgrass landscapes in our state. Tom Hawkins will provide an update on 'UC Verde' plantings across California, citing the notable savings on water, but also on mowing, fertilizers and chemical use. Installation methods and lawn conversions will be described; focus will then move to the range of applications for this sustainable turfgrass cultivar, including use as a groomed lawn and as a short meadow grass, for erosion control, stormwater retention basins and bioswales, and as an extremely drought tolerant, low-maintenance ground cover.

Schedule subject to change