Watching Grass Grow: Reproductively

Situation

In the middle of May, you notice an unusually large number of seedheads in your Kentucky bluegrass lawn. While a few seedheads usually appear at this time of year, this year the lawn appears to be overrun with them. As you observe the turf over the next two weeks, you notice substantial thinning and a "stemmy" appearance developing. As May turns into June, this condition gradually changes and a dense stand of vegetative shoots replaces the seedheads that were so much in evidence earlier. You wonder: Was the dramatic recovery of the turf due to the germination of all the seeds produced on site? You recall when you established this lawn several years ago how the distribution of small bag of seed produced such a prolific stand of grass. The disappointingly sparce stand of seedlings emerging from this exercise gradually formed a dense turf that has persisted despite incidences of severe drought, several diseases, and at least one major bout with voracious insects.

As you reflect on these observations, consider the following questions:

• How and under what conditions are seed-bearing flowers produced by turfgrasses?
• Are seeds produced in a lawn viable and do they contribute to the turf's recovery?
• How does an individual seed become a mature turfgrass plant?

Study Materials:

• Inflorescence Development
• Germination