Abstract
Sand, rockwool, perlite and newly developed urethane-foam have been used as growth media to grow turfgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L. cv. Pencross) sod. Series of tests were conducted to study turfgrass seedlings growth and mechanical characteristics of the sods on the four growth media. The results showed that urethane-foam growth media had an equivalent water holding property of perlite which is much higher than that of sand, and also a better water permeability than those of sand and perlite. There was no significant difference at p<0.05 in fresh and dried shoot weight among the four growth media. The turfgrass seedings grew more dense and green in color on urethane-foam than on the others. As expected, the tensile and shearing strength of the turfgrass sod for urethane-foam had the highest value among the four growth media.
The results suggest that the urethane-foam can be used as a better growth media for turfgrass sod. And urethane-foam turfgrass sod would contribute to the handling in the process from the sod harvest to the sod transplant due to its superior mechanical flexibility.
