Developing Online Education and Training for Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrasses

Abstract

Roadside turfgrass establishments often fail due to poor establishment, leading to losses of money and time for departments of transportation in the northern U.S. One of the reasons for this failure is a lack of training given to installers. To address some of the concerns turf installers have regarding roadside turfgrass establishment, we worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to create an online training course for contractors and other stakeholders called Installation and Management of Roadside Turfgrasses. The goal of this course is to teach students the importance of species selection for roadsides, what the proper establishment procedures are for seed and sod, and how to implement fundamental cultural practices for maintaining turfgrasses on roadsides in the northern U.S.