A Conversation about Grass

No. Not marijuana... regular types of grass. Today I was roaming the lawn, alternately cursing and cooing over the grasses that inhabit my yard. Not out loud, because it upsets the dog. Mentally, because that's how I do most of my work lately. 

There are good grasses and there are bad grasses, depending on your personal criteria. The bad grasses are usually the ones that insert themselves into areas where you had other plans. The main culprit in this area, at least for those who value lawns, is crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), also known as finger grass. Both names are good descriptions of the growth pattern of this wildly successful introduced  annual species. It arrived on this continent because the U.S.Patent Office thought it was a good candidate for a forage crop in 1849. They were wrong and it loves it here, especially in hot and dry conditions. It makes millions of seeds around this time, which ensures a crop next year and for many years after because it can lie dormant for a really long time. It's okay in the lawn until it dies back and leaves ugly yellow patches of death scattered around. It also crowds out less assertive plants, like the expensive lawn grasses you fuss over to make a beautiful turf. I battle them in my garden beds. The lawn is a free for all anyway, with clover and thyme holding their own. Mulch is a good ally, because if you remain alert you can yank out the seedlings early. Bare soil can be a catastrophe. 

The other outstandingly “bad” grass is another introduced annual, the infamous Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium.) It is very aggressive, taking over forest floors and roadsides. At first, it seems pretty, but it has several bad behaviors. It crowds out natives, disrupting the ecosystem, and emits a chemical that inhibits germination of competitors. Its own seed can stay dormant in the soil for up to five years. The best preventive for both of these weeds is to remove plants before seeds can be produced.

The “good” grasses I refer to are the decorative ones you buy from the garden center for their beauty and usually structural value. I have several enormous clumps of maiden grass (Miscanthus) that send up gorgeous seed heads in the autumn, along with the native bluestem grasses (Schizachryrium app). They are beuatiful for their size, anchoring garden areas, and provide color and motion to attract wildlife. They all provide winter interest, too, if you wait until late winter or early spring to cut them back for new growth to emerge. Another of my favorites is the Northern Sea Oat (Chasmanthium latifolium), a native grass that is one of the most graceful grasses, and has the bonus habit of thriving in partial shade. It makes dangling, flat seedheads that look like clusters of oats, and spreads madly. This can be a gift or a curse, depending on your own particular garden needs. They are easy to remove when young, though, so needn't become a problem. 

Most grasses set seed in late summer into autumn, and there are thousands of natives around to admire for their beauty. Set your perspective closer to ground level when you admire the landscape. You'll be surprised at how much you've been missing. I've attached a pair of links about crabgrass and stiltgrass.

https://www.timesunion.com/weather/article/grondahl-crabgrass-thrives-capital-region-s-19606304.php

https://turfweeds.cals.cornell.edu/plant/japanese-stiltgrass