Establishment of bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) from seed in sand-based systems using subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) presents a challenge due to limited capillary rise of water from the drip emitter. An experiment was designed to evaluate bentgrass seed irrigated overhead at establishment and then transitioned to SDI once roots reach specific depths. Treatments consisted of a control (overhead irrigation only) and SDI irrigated overhead till roots reached 0, 5, 10 and 15 cm depth. Nineteen-liter (5 gallon) buckets (lysimeters) were filled with 5 cm of pea-gravel and then 30 cm mix of sand 90% and peatmoss 10%. Each bucket had a single drip emitter (gallon/hour) in the center of the bucket at a 15 cm depth. Data consisted of days to reach transition depth, percent cover, soil moisture and nitrogen. The SDI at 0 cm rooting depth treatment never established any bentgrass as irrigation from the emitter never reached the surface. The 5, 10 and 15 cm SDI treatments transition from overhead to drip 18, 27 and 38 days after seeding, respectively. The percent cover was 100, 82, 85 and 95% for the control 5, 10 and 15 cm treatments, respectively at 90 days after seeding. Volumetric water content was highest in the control and lower in the SDI treatments regardless of treatment. The SDI irrigation treatments developed tissue desiccation on the perimeter of the bucket after transitioning as the lateral capillary movement of water failed to reach the width of the bucket. Further research is needed to evaluate SDI spacing during transitioning that produce a high quality turfgrass in sand-based systems.
