City Park Turf Bioaugmentation

Turf and Landscaping Study: 11.5 Acres

A Parks Department in a Wyoming municipality conducted a study across 11.5 acres of city park turf to evaluate the effects of biologically enhanced soil amendments on turf quality, plant health, and soil conditions.

BioLynceus® Lot 125® and Seaweed Cream® were applied to several turf areas with different levels of use, including:

  • Lasing Field, a heavily used athletic field
  • Soccer 7 and Soccer 8, regularly used athletic fields
  • East Dale, a lightly used turf area

Two additional athletic fields, Soccer 5 and Soccer 6, were used as control areas for comparison.

Reducing Water and Synthetic Fertilizer Use

During the study, potable water use was reduced on the BioLynceus®-treated fields, and no synthetic fertilizers were applied.

The two control fields received conventional turf maintenance, including regular irrigation of approximately 800,000 gallons per acre and synthetic fertilizer applications. These fields did not receive BioLynceus® treatments.

This comparison allowed the Parks Department to evaluate differences in soil health, turf performance, irrigation use, and maintenance costs.

Measuring Soil and Turf Improvements

From April through October, the study evaluated several indicators of soil and turf health, including:

  • Soil compaction relief
  • Root zone elongation
  • Thatch reduction
  • Irrigation requirements
  • Material costs
  • Labor costs

Annual treatment costs were also compared with the estimated cost of maintaining the same acreage using conventional watering and synthetic fertilizer practices.

Soil Compaction Relief

Lasing Field showed the greatest average improvement in soil compaction, with 3.1 inches of compaction relief.

By comparison, Soccer 5, one of the untreated control fields, showed the least improvement at 0.38 inches.

Overall, the BioLynceus®-treated turf areas experienced greater average soil compaction relief than the untreated control fields.

Root Zone Development

Lasing Field also experienced the greatest average root zone elongation, measuring 1.04 inches.

Soccer 7 showed the lowest root zone increase among the treated areas at 0.5 inches.

When compared with Soccer 5 and Soccer 6, the two control fields, root zone development in Soccer 7 and Soccer 8 remained relatively similar. Average root zone elongation was no more than 0.06 inches lower and up to 0.04 inches greater than the control areas.

These results indicated that the treatment effect on root zone elongation in Soccer 7 and Soccer 8 was relatively small.

Thatch Reduction

The study also measured changes in turf thatch.

Soccer 7 experienced the greatest average thatch reduction at 1.5 inches, while Soccer 5 showed the least reduction at 0.1 inches.

Reducing excessive thatch can help improve water movement, nutrient availability, and air exchange within the turf root zone.

Overall Turf and Soil Health Results

Across the study, the BioLynceus®-treated turf areas showed the greatest average improvements in:

  • Soil compaction relief
  • Root zone development
  • Thatch reduction

The results also indicated that heavily and regularly used turf areas experienced the greatest overall improvements from biological soil treatment.

This study demonstrates how biological soil amendments may help support healthier turf, improve soil conditions, and reduce dependence on conventional irrigation and synthetic fertilizer practices.

Figure 1. Annual irrigation, material, and labor costs were determined for 11.5 acres of park turf using regular maintenance
and BioLynceus® treatment practices. Total annual costs were summed from irrigation, material, and labor costs for each practice.

Irrigation Savings and Reduced Turf Maintenance Costs

The cost analysis showed significant irrigation savings during the BioLynceus® bioaugmentation program.

Over the course of one year, water use was reduced across all treated turf areas:

  • 10% reduction on the heavily used athletic field

  • 15% reduction on the regularly used athletic fields

  • 33% reduction on the lightly used turf area

In total, the Parks Department saved approximately 1,592,000 gallons of treated municipal water, reducing annual irrigation costs by $5,764.

Comparing Material and Labor Costs

The annual material cost of Lot 125® and Seaweed Cream® was approximately $208.50 per acre higher than the cost of conventional granular synthetic fertilizer.

Across the treated acreage, this resulted in an additional $3,046 in annual material costs.

Labor costs also increased slightly during treatment. Annual labor expenses increased by approximately $5.50 per acre, adding a total of $241.

Although material and labor expenses increased, the reduction in irrigation costs more than offset these additional expenses.

Total Annual Operational Savings

After accounting for irrigation, material, and labor costs, the Parks Department achieved approximately $2,477 in total annual operational savings.

The biological turf treatment program also supported:

  • Reduced irrigation requirements

  • Improved soil structure

  • Healthier, more resilient turf

  • Lower overall maintenance costs

  • More efficient use of treated municipal water

The study demonstrated that improving soil and turf health can also provide measurable economic benefits through reduced water use and lower overall operating costs.

Supporting Healthier Turf and Soil

BioLynceus® Lot 125® and Seaweed Cream® can help support healthier soil, stronger turf, improved water efficiency, and more sustainable turf management practices.