Water use and performance of Kentucky bluegrass influenced by cultivar, irrigation practices, and soil texture

Abstract The use of drought‐resistant grasses and deficit irrigation practices can reduce irrigation volume without sacrificing lawn quality, but a specific lawn's irrigation requirement may vary by soil texture or irrigation frequency. Two Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.) cultivars (Mallard and Geronimo), two soil textures (silt loam and loamy sand), two irrigation frequencies (1× and 3× week −1 ), and two irrigation volumes (40% and 80% reference evapotranspiration replacement) were evaluated in a lysimeter experiment. The experiment was replicated over three runs: late summer 2018 and early and late summer 2019. Turf quality was determined by evaluating green turfgrass coverage, and water use was determined by monitoring lysimeter weights. Mallard and Geronimo did not differ in water usage, but Mallard maintained greater coverage throughout the experiment. Lysimeters replacing 80% reference evapotranspiration averaged 1.4× greater water use and coverage than those replacing 40% reference evapotranspiration over the three experimental runs. Irrigation frequency and soil texture had minimal practical impact on water use and variable effect on turfgrass coverage. Turfgrass grown in lysimeters filled with silt loam and irrigated at 40% reference evapotranspiration demonstrated periods of greater coverage compared to turfgrass in lysimeters with loamy sand under the same irrigation regime. While soil texture may have minimal impact on water consumption during extended drought stress, these findings highlight the importance of adjusting irrigation practices to maintain turfgrass coverage. This refined understanding can allow end‐users to implement customized irrigation strategies that preserve turfgrass quality while minimizing water waste.