August marks one year since the completion of the Landscape Unit research plots at UF and a perfect occasion to reflect on the aims and
usefulness of this site.
Modest beginnings
Last summer, thanks to UF’s Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, Turfgrass Science, and the Florida-Friendly Program, a
weedy, derelict expanse off SW 23rd Terr. in Gainesville was
transformed into a paved, fully operation research area.
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| A freshly scrapped site |
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| Planner's conference as the structure takes shape |
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| Removing fumigation plastic: Mackenzie Boyer fears no poison |
The terrain was scraped and fumigated, a road and concrete
rest areas were built, and landscaping and irrigation was designed and
installed.
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| Bring on the landscapes! |
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| July 26, 2013: Planting Day |
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| When installing irrigation, the ditch witch is your friend |
All told, four plots were erected: three to resemble homes (in terms
of square feet) with front and back yards, and one for showcasing different
plants and turfgrass species.
That green green
The timetable for the initial build did not allow for the
installation of warm season turfgrass. Ryegrass was used as a placekeeper
throughout fall and winter.
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| Fall 2013: the ryegrass emerges |
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| Summer 2014: the St. Augustinegrass goes in |
Early this summer, however, many of the initial landscaping
team reassembled to lay St. Augustine sod in the research plots as well as
Bahia, Centipede and Zoysia turfgrass for the demonstration area.
You weren't out there? Relive the magic
Getting out what you put in
Once the final ingredient was in place in the research
plots, the real work began: logging resource expenditures - where resource includes fuel for maintenance equipment, labor hours and water use quantity.
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| Front to back: zoysia, centipede, bahia, and St. Augustine |
In urban
landscape irrigation, one of the tenants of outdoor water-use efficiency is designing
a landscape with minimal water requirements. In our case, this means a
Florida-friendly landscape (FFL) – composed of native or drought-tolerant
trees, plants and groundcovers, and perhaps also a smattering of turfgrass, all
of it watered with an emphasis on hydrozoning and low-volume irrigation.
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| Attracting wildlife is one of the FFL principles |
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| Groundcover de jeur: perennial peanut 40 weeks old |
The antithesis of FFL is termed “traditional.” This landscape
features maximum, jolly green turfgrass and sparse use of ornamentals, usually irrigated with no consideration for plant-type or water need. (As an irrigation
tech I can testify to the prevalence of this design in urban irrigation.) The work in the Landscape
Unit will reveal which of these two landscape designs is really the
most resource efficient.
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| Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District |
This is a topical question right now. Residential landscapes
are often implicated in contributing to nonpoint source pollution (run-off and
leaching of fertilizer and chemicals). In the drought-mired
western U.S., water conservation programs target turfgrass landscapes
with turf removal rebates, encouraging the use of drought-tolerant plants. And in
California, where 2/3 of the state is now in exceptional drought, “brown is the new green” aptly describes a cultural moment where maintaining healthy turf and
conserving water is no longer a tenable equation.
Quiet on the set
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| Drip irrigation up close and personal |
As a visual media producer, I've come to see the Landscape Unit as a living set. To date it has played a role in no less than eight videos –
some profiling aspects of the site, others capitalizing on the rich assortment
of plants and irrigation equipment located there.
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| Dr. Michael Dukes at a recent training with FL Extension personnel |
Over the past year the site
has also hosted an FNGLA conference, a Florida Irrigation Society course, an
Extension Agent in-service training, and several master gardener tours.
Take an aerial tour
The Landscape Unit research site is a valuable resource, and I look forward to following the progress of the on-going plot study and helping develop future uses.
About the author:
Michael Gutierrez is a water resources
technician with UF/IFAS in the Ag & Bio
Engineering Dept. He tweets, blogs and
also shoots still and video media in South
Florida, Gainesville and anywhere else a
camera is handy. (image: Stacia Davis)
technician with UF/IFAS in the Ag & Bio
Engineering Dept. He tweets, blogs and
also shoots still and video media in South
Florida, Gainesville and anywhere else a
camera is handy. (image: Stacia Davis)
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