Over time, the lawn at the Hahn Horticulture Garden pavilion takes a beating, and starts to look a little less than ideal.
“It gets heavily compacted from the foot traffic and the mower, so we’re constantly aerating and trying to maintain it, and sometimes we have to go to more drastic measures,” garden Director Scott Douglas said.
Those drastic measures include starting from scratch, by clearing off the land and laying down new sod.
It was the perfect opportunity to give students a hands-on lesson.
Junior Tyler Croson carrying a roll of sod. Photo by Patrick McKee for Virginia Tech.
“They may go into the green industry, where this is a skill they will need to know,” Douglas said.
Junior Tyler Croson knows these skills will help him in the future. He wants to own his own landscaping business.
He said, opportunities like this will make him successful in the future.
“Everything I’m learning in the classroom really needs hands-on applications. You can know it in your head, but if you’ve never done it with your hands, how can you tell someone else how to do it?” Croson asked.
The venue is home to numerous events every year, including meetings, parties, and weddings, so keeping it in pristine condition is imperative.