Grass is Just Grass … Right?
Grass is one of the most common and one of the most commonly misunderstood plants on the planet.
It is responsible for providing more food for animals and people than any other plant, and there are probably well over 3500 different species worldwide.
And yet many people think that grass is just grass.
Yes, the green bit on the floor is grass, but, apart from the bench, everything else in the foreground of this picture is also grass of one sort or another.
But I suppose it’s true to say that most people’s perception of grass is that stripey green area that our kids like to use to kick a ball about.
But did you know that it isn’t just dogs that you can have designed to suit your lifestyle?
Lawns can be designed for exactly the same reason too.
Lawns are a bit like vehicles. It very much depends upon the use to which you want to put it as to what features you need to add to it.
If you only want it to be seen, you don’t have to have many features ….
But if you want more from it, you need more features.
Grass is the same. If you only want to look at it and you don’t want it to be able to cope with 6 kids playing footie on it in February, then you only need a couple of short growing fine leaf varieties …..
In this case, this particular lawn only has 2 varieties of one species of grass. This mixture is designed to be cut very short and to look good, which it does.
However, it will not stand those 6 kids playing kick-about because the species of grass used is a slow growing fine-leaved grass which cannot quickly recover if it’s been scuffed.
However, to get away from tractors and back to dogs again, this tougher-looking grass is very much better suited to those 6 kids and their football because it contains twice as many species of grass, only one of which is a lower-growing species.
The other three species are dwarf varieties of a faster growing coarse leaf perennial grasses. These grasses are tougher than the fine leaf types and will recover sufficiently enough from the children’s antics on Saturday for a re-match the following Wednesday.
Pretty good, Eh?
Not only that, but there are many other types of grass that will tolerate extreme situations.
The one above is an Australian one, ‘Stockade Zoysia’ which tolerates drought …
