QuestionQUESTION: Hello I'm a 15 year old male living in Massachusetts and need some help on my Science fair project. I am taking a course in biology at my High School and am wishing to do a biology related Science Fair.
I have two possible titles.
Which soil grows which type of grass fastest?
or, most likely,
Which soil grows grass fastest.(some specific grass so instead of the first one where in i do experiments on both different grasses and soils i merely make the soil a variable)
I am hoping to find help on what type of grass to use.
Which are the top 3 soils i should use
Where to find my research
and perhaps everything typed out and in a form so as to print the paper and paste it onto the board hehehe...
Whatever you know and wish to disclose would be much appreciated. Any questions on specifics i shall try my best to answer. Also, if you don't wish to answer for either you aren't sure yourself or wish for me to find out myself is completely fine. Seeing previous answers of yours i can tell you're both educated and respectable, i wouldn't think of placing any hateful, spammy, or disruptive message.
Sincerely yours "joe"
ANSWER: Very interesting, Joe. Let's discuss this.
First, let's talk about your choice of Grass. Some Grass germinates practically overnight. Rye Grass sprouts in 7 to 10 days if you give it temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Creeping Bentgrass, Red Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass (the best selling Cool Season Grass) germinate fastest when the Soil temperature gets as cool as 59 degrees for a few weeks. All must be kept moist. Your choice of Seed and the temperatures you give it can win or lose any race to grow a Lawn.
One more thing.
A well known Seed company has dreamed up a way to boost germination and vigor of new Grass. It's covered here:
smartseed.com/myco.html
See, plants can grow perfectly well in the ground with water and nutrients. But they grow MUCH BETTER if the ground comes with a built in network of root-feeders called 'Fungal Mycorrhizae'. Digging into Soil with a shovel breaks the 'Fungal Mycorrhizae' apart, like a telephone line that was suddenly cut off from the house. The theory goes, if you surround Seeds with a coating of the dormant Spores of beneficial Fungi, and they grows, the sprouts will hit the ground running and take off faster than you can say Grass Roots Organization.
Pennington Seed takes this ordinary Seed and coats it with specialized Spores; watering shakes the Spores out of dormancy, and they quickly grow into Fungi with microscopic hyphae that network all over the place underground, looking for roots to team up with. They connect to the roots, and in return for giving nutrients to the plant, they get other nutrients OUT of the plant. The products are marketed as 'Smart Seed with Myco-Advantage'.
Soil is a different story. The problem people run into with Soil is not the kind of Soil, but something called Seed-Soil contact. To get this just right, people rent 'rollers', to tamp down the Seed after sowing it. Quickest germination comes from good Seed-Soil contact and constant moisture.
Sandy Soil offers very little in the way of germination. It does not retain moisture. It doesn't promote growth of those specialized beneficial Fungi underground. It retains no nutrients. Sure, it provides excellent drainage, and sure, it won't compact like Clay Soil, but it's also guaranteed to grow very little of anything including your Grass.
Your followups invited. And I would appreciate an AllExpert nomination for 'AllExpert of the Year' when you're done w/ this. That way I can make that all important List they put out in January of the top 50 or 100 'Experts'. Thanks for writing.
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Seeing as this post is Public i will try my best to keep it as organized as possible.
Main Question: What type of soil(s), I think I shall need 3 for my Science Fair, would you recomend for me to grow "Tall Fescue" with both Myco-Advantage and Penkote technology from Pennington Seed Incorporate?(I understand it is my fault/responsibility for financial issues...)
Thank you for both your time and sincerity.
I have nominated you for AllExpert of the Month. I shall try shortly to nominate you for AllExpert of the Year.
Again, please don't feel obliged to answer me if you don't wish to. (perhaps you don't want to persuade me into buying soil or something else...) Your answer so far has proved sufficient to greatly boost my Science Fair. (Also if you were wondering i got a 98 in CP Bio for the First term Cheers :))
p.s i do have a question that would be regarded private and off-topic from lawncare. If you do get it and don't wish to talk about it, please reply back to making say you don't wish to so that i make sure you at least got the message. If you get it once i don't want to disturb you by resending the message. (I won't ask you "WHY" you don't want to talk about it...and no it's not about your location or something like that...)
-Again, Thank you "joe"
AnswerGot your question, sent your answer, hope it makes sense!
Moving right along, I would guess you could give a shot at a few different Soil properties. You might try (1) all-Sand; (2) high Clay; (3) all Peat Moss, or Humus, or even Coffee Grounds.
You might try (1) pH 5.0; (2) pH 7.0; (3) pH 8.5. For ease, you can use water that tests for those pH settings instead of Soil.
You might try Soils with different heat: (1) w/ a heating Coil; (2) room temperature/no Coil; (3) chilled (immersed in ice water) Soil.
You might try Soils (1) under blackout (pot kept in black plastic bag); (2) in full Sun (you'd need a greenhouse for this); (3) under a fluorescent or incandescent Bulb.
You might try Soils (1) kept dry; (2) kept constantly moist; (3) watered only after dry.
My favorite of all however is Soil (1) treated with a commercial Fungicide; (2) treated with an "organic" Fungicide (Epsom salts are usually listed); (3) not treated (control group).
Soil in the scientific community is also referred to as a Growing Medium in this situation.
Any thoughts?
L.I.G.
