From Seed to Sod: Investigating the Role of Growing Media in Turf Grass Germination for Premium Sod Quality

Aims: Our study aimed to address the low seed germination potential in turf grasses by using cost-effective growing media. The study was conducted at experimental farm of department of floriculture and landscaping in the year 2021-2022 in two experiments conducted during both the years in February-March. Three different cost-effective growing media; garden soil (T1), mixture of garden soil and leaf manure (2:1) (T2) and mixture of sand and leaf manure (2:1) (T3) were filled in growing trays and then seeds of four cool season turf grasses (perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, creeping bentgrass and creeping red fescue) were sown thinly in respective media. Experiment was conducted in completely randomized block design including 3 replications and daily germination counts were taken till 15 days. Data recorded was analysed using OPSTAT software and critical difference was calculated at 5% level of significance. The study highlights the superiority of 2:1 ratio garden soil and leaf manure for better germination attributes. This medium significantly reduces germination time, enhances seedling attributes, and proves optimal for achieving maximum seedling vigor which can contribute subsequently to uniform sod establishment.