Turf Mountain at
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center:
Documenting Nitrogen Runoff and Leaching

(See links below to the full report and the scientific article)

Funded from the US Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) through the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the project "Documenting the Florida Yard Concept for Reducing Nitrogen Runoff and Leaching" compared the savings in using lower maintenance mixed vegetation as a replacement for turf.

During the first year of the study, annual N leaching losses were significantly greater on the mixed-species landscape, 4.80 g N m-2 compared with 0.41 g N m-2 for lawn areas of St. Augustinegrass.  There were four replicates and very extensive sampling throughout the study period.  Runoff was minimal from both landscapes.

In order to do the first-of-its-kind scientific study on St. Augustinegrass, a huge mountain had to be constructed with an extensive collection system, and multiple samplers installed, including tipping buckets.  The study was published in the Nov/Dec 2001 issue of Crop Science, a scientific peer-reviewed publication.

The following downloads require the Adobe Acrobat Reader

The final report:
A final report for DEP contract WM701.   (949 KB)
Documenting the Florida Yard Concept for Reducing Nitrogen Runoff and Leaching

The article:
Erickson, J. E., Cisar, J. L., Volin, J. C., and Snyder, G. H.  2001.  (264 KB)
Comparing nitrogen runoff and leaching between newly established St. Augustinegrass turf and an alternative residential landscape.  Crop Sci. 41:1889-1895.