The Science of Lawn Care: Understanding Grass Growth

Lawn care can be difficult and taxing when you’re not exactly sure what makes grass grow and what hinders its growth. In this post, you’ll learn about the life cycle of grass and how it affects lawn care practices, how mowing, watering, and fertilization support grass growth, and the role of soil health in grass growth and lawn care. By the time you finish reading, you’ll be armed with knowledge you can prioritize with your own lawn. How the Grass Life Cycle Affects Lawn Care Practices The life cycle of grass can be divided into five growth segments: germination, vegetative growth, elongation, reproductive, and seed ripening. Germination is the first step, where the grass starts a seed, requiring water, sunlight, warmth, and oxygen to sprout. In the vegetative stage, nutritious leaves grow, but there isn’t much biomass. During elongation, stems and nodes appear. Perennial grasses will have more biomass at this stage, but the stem bases have low energy stores. In the reproductive stage, stems fully elongate, and the shoot apexes produce inflorescence. Seed ripening is the final stage of the life cycle. So, What Does This Mean for Lawn Care? Many homeowners fall for the misconception that you fertilize, overseed, and weed at the same time, once per season, in the spring. However, this is not the case. To sync your lawn care methods up with natural grass growth, this process should extend from the spring to the end of the fall season, right before winter. Weed control and fertilizer should be applied together in the spring. This way, you are killing any weeds at the surface, keeping them from germinating, and fertilizing your lawn so healthy grass can grow in its place. However, rain and heat will affect how long your weed killer is active–if there’s more rain or heat than usual, you may require a second application of weed killer. Seeding should occur in the fall and works best when paired with aeration (if your lawn requires aeration at that time). This way, your lawn gets the key nutrients it needs, and you’re also surfacing any weeds before they germinate further. Mowing, Watering, and Fertilizing for Grass Growth & Lawn Care If you want healthy grass, you need lawn care. Watering, mowing, and fertilizing are just three examples of necessary lawn care methods, but they are invaluable for optimal grass growth. Generally, watering should be done infrequently but deeply, the exceptions being if you have a particularly hot season or you’ve just laid sod. Lawn mowing, on the other hand, should be done weekly during most of the growing season and up to twice per week in mid-to-late spring if your grass is growing quickly. When mowing, set your mower to around 2-3 inches and only cut one-third of the grass height at a time. Use a sharp mower blade and make at least two passes over the lawn at a 45—or 90-degree angle to avoid ruts and compaction. This encourages a thicker, lower maintenance, water-conserving lawn. Fertilizing can be tricky because it requires you to monitor your lawn. At most, you can fertilize your lawn every 6-8 weeks from late February through early November, starting after your third mowing or after the lawn is established. Spring fertilization gives it the nutrients it needs to survive the warmer weather, and autumn fertilization helps your lawn get through the winter. The Role of Soil Health in Lawn Care Soil health is crucial for lawn health because it affects the availability of nutrients, moisture retention, and root growth. Some lawn care methods for improving soil health are aeration, mulching, and adding organic matter like compost. Aeration specifically helps with compacted soil. The process digs grooves into your lawn that allow sunlight, water, and nutrients to reach the grassroots. This encourages hardier grass that can withstand stressors like pests, disease, and inclement weather much more easily. As previously mentioned, aeration is typically best done with fertilization in the fall. Mulching adds nutrients to the soil and protects it from direct sun and wind. It’s best to use organic materials like shredded leaves, grass clippings, bark, or pine needles for your mulch, and you can even make it yourself. Similarly, adding organic matter to your soil through composting improves soil health by returning organic nutrients to the soil in a form readily usable by plants. Conclusion Overall, lawn care isn’t very difficult; you just need to get to know your lawn personally. Syncing your lawn care with your grass cycle, supporting soil health, and giving your lawn the nutrients it needs to thrive are lawn care basics that are easy to implement on your property.