Posted by Pete L on October 22, 2008, 6:00 am
I read quite a few books about lawn care but cannot find the answer to
my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?
Posted by Buderschnookie on October 22, 2008, 7:09 am
>I read quite a few books about lawn care but cannot find the answer to
> my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
> live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
> years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
> chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?
Which particular lawn grass are you asking about?
The answer may very well differ according to species.
If you don't know what kind of turfgass you have, what region are you in? Is
it a thicker bladed clump type, or a finer blade.
Any stolons? Does it go dormant in the winter? In the summer?
Need more information!
--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com
Posted by Pete L on October 22, 2008, 7:59 am
> >I read quite a few books about lawn care but cannot find the answer to
> > my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
> > live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
> > years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
> > chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?
> Which particular lawn grass are you asking about?
> The answer may very well differ according to species.
> If you don't know what kind of turfgass you have, what region are you in? Is
> it a thicker bladed clump type, or a finer blade.
> Any stolons? Does it go dormant in the winter? In the summer?
> Need more information!
> --
> Toni
> Hills of Kentucky
> USDA Zone 6bhttp://www.cearbhaill.com
I don't know what type it is - just ordinary grass you have for a
lawn. It's quite fine bladed (no idea what a stolon is!), it goes
dormant in winter and grows a lot in summer if there is enough rain. I
live in SE England, Margate - about 2 minutes walk from the sea.
Posted by David E. Ross on October 22, 2008, 3:31 pm
On 10/22/2008 3:00 AM, Pete L wrote:
> I read quite a few books about lawn care but cannot find the answer to
> my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
> live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
> years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
> chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?
Yes, lawn grasses are usually perennial. Annual grasses, however, are
sometimes used to "green up" a dormant lawn in the winter.
While the grass blades might die, the crown generally lives a long time.
It sends up new blades during its growing season. Also, many lawn
grasses have either runners or rhizomes. The major difference between
the two is that runners are above ground, taking root where they touch
damp soil, while rhizomes are underground, rooting all along their
paths. Both form new crowns and send up new blades at a distance (long
or short) from the parent crown. (Note: Here, "crown" might be just a
small growing point and not a noticeable mass.)
--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/>
Posted by Sheldon on October 22, 2008, 6:26 pm
"David E. Ross" wrote:
> Pete L wrote:
> > I read quite a few books about lawn care but cannot find the answer to
> > my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
> > live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
> > years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
> > chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?
> Yes, lawn grasses are usually perennial. �Annual grasses, however, are
> sometimes used to "green up" a dormant lawn in the winter.
> While the grass blades might die, the crown generally lives a long time.
> �It sends up new blades during its growing season. �Also, many lawn
> grasses have either runners or rhizomes. �The major difference between
> the two is that runners are above ground, taking root where they touch
> damp soil, while rhizomes are underground, rooting all along their
> paths. �Both form new crowns and send up new blades at a distance (long
> or short) from the parent crown. �(Note: �Here, "crown" might be just a
> small growing point and not a noticeable mass.)
This is why most lawns are a mixture. A lawn planted with a blend of
seed suitable for an area and kept properly maintained, save a natural
disaster, should last indefinitely.
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> my question. I assume grass is a perenial plant but how long does it
> live? My lawn, to my knowledge, has been in its' current form for 30+
> years and still is ok. As it is cut the grass plant never gets a
> chance to seed so how does it survive seemingly for an unlimited time?