The City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department and New Mexico State University (NMSU) have again formed a partnership to continue to find ways to strengthen the City’s turf practices and to raise the level of service for our community.
Dr. Leslie Beck, Extension Weed Specialist at NMSU, will be conducting a research study to monitor the germination conditions of crabgrass during the upcoming spring months. Dr. Beck will be using Veterans Park as part of this study.
She will be marking off four corner dots of safe turf grass paint in three separate 5-foot by 5-foot locations with the turf area at Veteran’s Park. It is important to note that this will strictly be observational research, for soil temperatures, germination counts, and other criteria, within the plot area twice a week until June 2021.
The research conducted by Dr. Beck will gather germination information for multiple different landscape weeds so that NMSU can provide the City better management suggestions and timings for the control of weeds. NMSU has again chosen City facilities because researchers are aware the City of Las Cruces does not use herbicides in City parks.
That practice makes City facilities ideal because there will not be any herbicide residue, and researchers will not have to worry about any City staff members accidentally spraying herbicide in the plots during the study.
“We are hopeful that this research will assist with a better understanding of how particular weeds grow, and how we (the City) can manage it more effectively and sustainability throughout our facilities,” said Sonya Delgado, City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Director.
Dr. Beck will follow all COVID Safe practices and guidelines while the research is being conducted. She will begin marking the areas in the next few days because daytime temperatures have begun to warm up.
Delgado has personally contacted a few members of the City’s Veterans Advisory Board (VAB) to inform them about the research and what VAB members will see on the turf. Delgado has also shared information about the turf research project in a monthly memorandum that was sent this week to the VAB.
This research project, at Veterans Memorial Park, on Roadrunner Parkway, is in City Council District 6.