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How Grass Grows: Seed Heads, Flowers and Fertilizer
How Grass Grows: Seed Heads, Flowers and Fertilizer
I recently attend a training class on identifying grasses and grassy weeds led by Dr. Tom Voigt, Associate Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist from the University of Illinois. Even though I knew all the grasses and how to go about identifying them, I am usually always able to learn something new at these events—in this case, I took away valuable information on grass seed heads and flowers, as well as how grass grows.
Flowering and Seed Heads
All grasses produce flowers and a seed head. If you live in cool-season turfgrass areas, this is the time of year when these grasses are “going to seed.” If you live in the South, those grasses will begin seeding around this time. Producing flowers and seed heads is part of the normal growth process of just about every plant.
Dr. Voigt said that as your grass grows, one way to reduce the amount of flowers and seed heads that are produced is to fertilize the lawn with nitrogen. The nitrogen will stimulate more leaf and shoot growth, keeping the plant less likely to produce as many seed heads. The concept is similar to fertilizing tomato plants. If a tomato is fed a high amount of nitrogen, the plant will get huge, but there will be very few tomatoes on it. All the energy is going into growing leaves and not much into fruit production.
How Does Grass Grow?
Another thing I learned is how grass grows. I was always under the assumption that grass grows up from the tip of the leaf blade. In actuality, the grass pushes the blades up from the crown of the plant. That is where the meristematic cells are located. The meristematic cells are the growth cells. When I think about it, it makes perfect sense that grass grows up from the crown and not from the tip of the blade. If it did, then when the lawn is mowed, the grass would not grow anymore.
When the flower heads or seed heads are cut off, the stalk that is left behind will turn straw-colored as it dies. If there are an abundance of flower/seed heads that have been cut off, the lawn will take on a sort of ragged, unkempt appearance. Producing the flower/seed heads also uses up a good deal of energy from the plant, and it takes time for it to recover and grow new leaves. It will come back, so try to be patient!
At Spring-Green, we can help you with just about any lawn care need—from fertilization and weed control to insect control and more, we’re here to help you have a healthy, beautiful lawn!