This Phase I proposal is designed to examine closely an innovative concept for recovering the resource potential of organic municipal and industrial waste materials. The waste materials will be substituted for topsoil in a novel system for growing grass sods. The new grass growing system appears capable of producing a sod crop in as little as 6 weeks as compared to I to 2 years for sod produced in the conventional manner. This will be achieved by germinating the grass seed in rendered waste materials spread over polyethylene sheeting. The primary roots of the grasses will not penetrate the polyethylene but rather will run along it and will quickly bind the waste material into a sod. The young sod will be rolled like carpeting off the polyethylene sheeting, which will be left in place for subsequent crops. The system will provide several significant opportunities: a useful product will be grown utilizing problem waste materials; several crops can be produced per year; several million cubic yards of topsoil will be saved and replaced by waste materials from which nutrient resources will be recovered that would otherwise be wasted; and the waste materials will be recycled into a non-food crop.Anticipated Results and
Potential Commercial Applications: The research would establish a system for utilizing problem waste materials in place of topsoil in a significantly improved method of growing grass sods. The product would be lighter, would be produced in a much shorter time, and would require less water and fertilizer.
