Established turf plays a vital role in regulating the function of complex urban ecosystems and providing ecosystem services for the cities. So selecting proper methods for establishment of urban turf systems should be considered carefully in the development of modern cities. Turf industry has become a high-effective industry with great vigor. Among the different establishment method, such as seeding, seed belt, sodding, plugging and sprigging, sodding and seed belt methods are often adopted. Sodding has the advantage of “instant lawn” establishment while seed belt method is much more convenient and is not limited by planting time. Establishment of sports turf is an important component of turf establishment systems. With the quick development of the sports playing on turf, the demand for sport turf is increasing. by analyzing current methods and main limiting factors in turf establishment, this paper probes into several ecological problems in the establishment of urban turf systems.
Sodding is the most efficient way of establishing a lawn; however, it is also the most expensive one and consumes soil resources from the agricultural ecosystems where it grows. There are also drawbacks for establishing turf from seed belt: the complex technology and the high cost of adhesive-bonded fabric carrier. Moreover, adhesive-bonded fabric is weak in controlling weeds and having a low water holding capacity due to its low resistance and high permeability. In the United States, most of the popular sport games like golf, soccer, rugby and tennis are on fields covered with natural turf. However, trampling for long period or high intensity has led to the soil compaction and poor resilience for the sport turfs. It is essential to maintain a flat and resilient surface for sport turfs.
In order to have a good understanding of the key limiting factors in turf establishment, several problems and issues are addressed and corresponding strategies are proposed. Firstly, finding the substitute medium for soil and research on soilless sod planting should be emphasized. Secondly, substitutes with low cost for sod netting and adhesive-bonded fabric carrier of seed belt should be applied in turf establishment. Finally, to improve the playing surface of sports turf, it is essential to look for optimum soil amendments of turf rootzone. In conclusion, in order to avoid negative impact on the environment when selecting materials for turf establishment and to enhance ecological services of turf establishment system, looking for inexpensive substitute materials and developing researches on their application and ecological suitability will be the important aspects in turf establishment.