Climate change could make Colorado lawns suffer. Here’s how to help yours adapt episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 10, 2025 · 8 MIN

Climate change could make Colorado lawns suffer. Here’s how to help yours adapt

from In The NOCO · host KUNC

A warmer, drier future for Colorado has many people wondering about their lawns. Drought and heat turn lawns brown or kills them altogether. How can we sustain a lawn with less water and less mowing? And should we keep them at all? Tony Koski is a professor of horticulture and landscape architecture at Colorado State University. He teaches a class on growing a lawn that's resilient in the face of climate change.  Tony talked with Erin O’Toole about how to create a lawn that will thrive in a hotter, drier climate. He is especially enthusiastic about one type of grass – called Bermuda grass – that he says is well equipped to survive in Colorado’s changing climate.  For advice on how to overhaul your lawn, take a look at a fact sheet from the CSU Extension that Tony co-authored.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProducer: Ariel LaveryExecutive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A warmer, drier future for Colorado has many people wondering about their lawns. Drought and heat turn lawns brown or kills them altogether. How can we sustain a lawn with less water and less mowing? And should we keep them at all? Tony Koski is a professor of horticulture and landscape architecture at Colorado State University. He teaches a class on growing a lawn that's resilient in the face of climate change.  Tony talked with Erin O’Toole about how to create a lawn that will thrive in a hotter, drier climate. He is especially enthusiastic about one type of grass – called Bermuda grass – that he says is well equipped to survive in Colorado’s changing climate.  For advice on how to overhaul your lawn, take a look at a fact sheet from the CSU Extension that Tony co-authored.  Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.orgQuestions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!Host and Producer: Erin O'TooleProducer: Ariel LaveryExecutive Producer: Brad TurnerTheme music by Robbie ReverbAdditional music by Blue Dot SessionsIn The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

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Climate change could make Colorado lawns suffer. Here’s how to help yours adapt

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This episode was published on July 10, 2025.

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A warmer, drier future for Colorado has many people wondering about their lawns. Drought and heat turn lawns brown or kills them altogether. How can we sustain a lawn with less water and less mowing? And should we keep them at all? Tony Koski is a...

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