Less Water – all the benefits, but with a lessened footprint
With drought and water-related issues on the rise, there has been a growing call for measures to reduce waste and negative impacts on our ecosystems. Outdoor water waste use during hot summers has been a particular area of focus for environmentalists, with the grass lawn identified as the major culprit. This scapegoating of grass lawns has led to the increase in synthetic ground covers and even municipalities paying residents to remove their lawns altogether. The result is that our communities are now losing out on the many benefits of natural grass lawns while increasingly adding non-living surfaces, that don’t clean our air, sequester carbon, and capture water runoff to our communities. Enter the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA), a third-party organization leading in the research and development of natural grass varieties that require less water.
The TWCA understand that grasses may require water, but when maintained appropriately, the positive impacts of natural grass, greatly outweigh the negatives. But they also know we can do better and aim to provide our communities with the benefits of living, natural grass, with a lessened footprint. Here’s a look at how the TWCA and Manderley Less Water products are changing the natural grass game, while providing you a quality product you can be proud of.
Backed by science:
Using digital image analysis, the TWCA evaluates natural grass species and cultivars for their performance/ability to maintain high natural grass quality under drought stress, so your customers can get a product with long term savings, while still getting a lawn that looks great!
The studies are conducted in approved structures that restrict natural rainfall on the test plot area during the drought stress period. Following establishment, each cultivar is maintained appropriately and fertilized according to standard practices. Plots are maintained for an entire growing season prior to initiating drought-stress. Drought-stress is replicated for two years in one location, or one year at multiple locations, so you can be sure the results will reproduce after your install work is done. Top performers of the program are highlighted, with some earning TWCA Qualified status. In the case of Kentucky Bluegrass cultivars, qualified products can decrease the watering requirement by as much as half when compared with conventional Kentucky Bluegrasses.
In search of only superior genetics, products that become TWCA qualified will have successfully met a stringent set of criteria. So, you can rest assured that any product with the TWCA qualified seal, like Manderley Less Water sod and seed, provides true water conservation benefits.
More on Less Water:
With the TWCA’s help, Manderley released the first drought tolerant qualified line of sod and seed in Canada. We carefully select the qualified cultivars used in our natural grass sod and seed blends based on characteristics like cold hardiness, rapid ‘green-up’, wear tolerance, disease resistance, germination and establishment, colour and appearance, and drought tolerance.
Manderley Less Water Sod minimizes the environmental impact of your customers’ property by conserving water, requiring up to 50% less water than a conventional natural grass lawn. TWCA qualified natural grass sod, like Manderley Less Water, also resists drought up to 6 weeks longer than conventional natural grass before going dormant, without any supplemental irrigation. With a Less Water natural grass lawn, your customers can save time watering, money on their water bill, and conserve water for tomorrow.
Manderley Less Water sod and seed products reduce the cost of water usage while still increasing property value for your customers. With drought-tolerant products that stay lush and green with as little as half the amount of water required by a conventional lawn, creating and maintaining a quality green space that minimizes its environmental impact is something we can all be proud of.
