Dr. David Gardner

I wanted to be an astronomer until I flunked out of trigonometry in high school. Luckily, Iowa State had a good horticulture program and I liked gardening so here we are.

I'm involved with a lot of product testing & product evaluation for weed control in turfgrass and landscape beds.  There are a lot of new challenges including herbicide resistant weeds but there are also a lot of new products that may be very helpful.

I became increasingly interested in alternative methods of pest control, which led me to a PhD (I focused on justifying the use of pesticides on golf courses). I then briefly ventured into the private industry before deciding to pursue a more research focused career to ultimately try and improve the practices we use in traditional pest management.

None currently

GCSAA Conference & Show, it's great opportunity for students to network with potential employers & a good place to find new research activities.

Seeing all the new faculty hires develop their programs.  In June 2025 we will host a meeting for turfgrass researchers from all around the Midwest.  There are also several conferences and seminars that I either help organize or speak at.

I enjoy cooking & container deck gardening - primarily herbs + the occasional tomato & pepper.