Lawn Grass isn’t just for being green and mowing! Turfgrass is so common in everyday life that people may not appreciate its value. Research continues to uncover environmental, economic, health, and safety benefits of natural turfgrass found in lawns, athletic fields, parks, and roadsides.

Healthy soil
Populations of beneficial organisms thrive within the root systems of healthy grasses, turning dead plants and organisms into healthy soils.

Water filtration
Pollutants bind tightly to the roots and thatch layer of grass systems. Microbial organisms work with the thatch layer to keep surface and groundwater clean. Grass buffer strips located in and around farm fields, streams, and waterways filter soil and remove chemicals before they enter surface and groundwater. In urban areas, grasses filter water that contains contaminants from oil, grease, and other household and industrial wastes.

Erosion control
Grass reduces soil erosion caused by water and wind. Grass develops a thick root and shoot system forming a wall that prevents soil erosion. For example, with new road and home construction, sod is laid next to the curb to prevent soil erosion and act as a buffer strip. The strip filters runoff water before it enters the street and storm water drains, which lead to nearby streams and surface waters. Regular mowing increases shoot density and root mass, which improves soil stability. Grass prevents water and wind erosion by slowing down the flow of water and holding soil in place. Research shows that sediment loss from grass is negligible under normal rainfall conditions.

Noise reduction
Grasses planted along a roadside will decrease the noise level by 40 percent compared to hard surfaces.

Natural air conditioning
Urban areas with fewer grasses and landscape plants are 10 to 15 percent warmer than their rural neighbors. Water evaporates through the stomata, the tiny openings in the grass blades, cooling them and the surrounding environment. During the summer, lawns are 30 percent cooler than asphalt and 14 percent cooler than bare ground.

Reduces glare
Variation in the size, shape, and angle of individual grass blades disperses sunlight. This reduces glare and improves visibility in sunny conditions.

Pollution control
A healthy lawn produces an abundance of leaf tissue to trap dirt and dust particles and protect air quality. About 12 million tons of dust is released into the atmosphere each year in the U.S., and much of it is trapped by grass.

Emotional and physical well-being
Vegetated landscapes not only enhance the environment, but they improve mental, physical, and emotional health. Hospital patients recover faster when their rooms face areas with grass and landscape plants.

Absorbs carbon dioxide, releases oxygen
During photosynthesis, grasses remove carbon dioxide and add oxygen to the atmosphere. Healthy turf areas give off abundant oxygen, which humans need to survive. Over the course of a year, a 2,500 square-foot lawn absorbs enough carbon dioxide to produce oxygen for a family of four.

Conditions soil
Grass roots grow continuously — dying, decomposing, and regrowing. This builds humus, which keeps soil biologically active and improves physical and chemical properties. The best, most fertile soils in the world were created under grasslands.

Keeps pollen in check
Healthy lawns have few weeds, which reduces pollen levels. Regular mowing also prevents grass plants and weeds from producing pollen-bearing seedheads and flowers.

Discourages small pests
Small pests (snakes, mice, and rats) and insects (chiggers and mosquitoes) live in tall grasses. Regular mowing keeps these undesirable pests away.

Improves community health and safety
Most outdoor recreational activities take place on grass. There are fewer injuries and they tend to be less severe when athletes play on natural grass compared to synthetic turf athletic fields. Adding turf to city parks has been shown to improve community relationships and emotional well-being, and to reduce crime. Parks and golf courses provide natural habitat for plants and animals in places that would normally be used for industry or housing. Many golf courses are certified as bird and wildlife sanctuaries by the Audubon Society.

https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/horticulture-resource-center/horticulture-newsletter/documents/2022/220927-Newsletter-39.pdf

Blog Post: http://www.ksuhortnewsletter.org

Video of the Week: Storing and Preserving Peppers
https://kansashealthyyards.org/all-videos/video/storing-and-preserving-peppers

EVENTS
Kansas Forest Service Tree, Shrub Seedling Sale, September 1 – October 15
https://www.kansasforests.org/conservation_trees/

Kansas Turf & Landscape Conference
The 72nd Annual Kansas Turf & Landscape Conference will be held on Wednesday, November 30 and Thursday, December 1 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Manhattan. The conference is an excellent way to learn about turf and landscape management, visit with old friends, network with new ones, and see all the latest products and supplies from local and national vendors.
The conference has been approved for commercial pesticide recertification hours:
1 Core hour
3A – 7 hours
3B – 7hours
GCSAA education points and International Society of Arboriculture CEUS will also be available by attending the conference.
For more information, go to https://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.com/

REMINDERS
• Add organic matter to vegetable garden this fall.
• Bring houseplants in if you haven’t already.
• Dig sweet potatoes

VEGETABLES
Fall Planting of Asparagus & Rhubarb
We sometimes receive questions as to whether asparagus or rhubarb can be moved in the fall. Though these crops are traditionally transplanted in the spring (mid-March to mid-April), a fall move can be successful. Wait until the top has been browned by frost and then cut back to the ground.
Prepare the soil and fertilize as you would in the spring. See http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf319.pdf for more detail on asparagus and http://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/ep99.pdf for more information on rhubarb.

Water well after planting to ensure good root/soil contact. Mulching would be helpful on the rhubarb to prevent the plant from heaving out of the soil during the winter but asparagus requires no such treatment as it is planted much deeper. (Ward Upham)

Last Tomatoes of the Season
Cooler nights are increasing in frequency now that we are nearing October. If you have tomatoes, you may have some that are approaching maturity. Leave them on the vine until mature or until a frost is forecast. Tomatoes will ripen off the vine but must have reached a certain phase of maturity called the ‘mature green stage.’ Look for full-sized tomatoes with a white, star-shaped zone on the bottom end of the green fruit.
When harvesting fruit before a frost, separate tomatoes into three groups for storage: those that are mostly red, those that are just starting to turn, and those that are still green. Discard tomatoes with defects such as rots or breaks in the skin. Place the tomatoes on cardboard trays or cartons but use layers of newspaper to separate fruit if stacked. Occasionally a tomato may start to rot and leak juice. The newspaper will keep the juice from contacting nearby or underlying fruit. Store groups of tomatoes at as close to 55 degrees as possible until needed. (Ward Upham)

Peppers from the Garden
Peppers are able to be stored fresh much longer than tomatoes. They can usually keep in a crisper drawer of a refrigerator for several weeks if kept moist but not wet. For longer storage, freezing works well. Though mushy when thawed, the flavor still comes through in cooked foods. Try dicing them into small pieces and then freezing on a cookie sheet. The frozen pieces can then be poured into a plastic bag for later use. Measuring is much easier as the pieces are not frozen together in a clump. This methods works just as well for hot peppers but be sure to wear gloves when handling. (Ward Upham)

TURFGRASS
Should You Let Turf Grow Tall in the Fall
Sometimes you will hear people say to let the grass grow tall right before winter sets in. Their reasoning is that the extra foliage will insulate the crown of the plant from the extreme cold of winter. Although this may sound reasonable, in practice it probably does little, if anything, to increase winter hardiness. On the contrary, a canopy that is too high during the winter may lay over and become matted down, leading to an increased incidence of winter-diseases such as snow mold.
Turfgrass species vary genetically in their cold tolerance, with warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and buffalograss being less cold tolerant than the cool-season types such as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Given these differences, cold tolerance is improved by increasing the health of the plants going into the winter, and healthy plants are a result of a sound management program (fertilizing, watering and mowing) during the spring, summer and fall.
The lawn will benefit more from continuing to mow at the recommended height than from trying to gain some insulation against winter cold by allowing it to grow tall.
Here is a list of the recommended mowing height ranges (in inches) for home lawns in Kansas:
Tall fescue: 2.5 -3.5
Kentucky bluegrass: 2-3
Buffalograss: 2-3
Bermudagrass: 1-2
Zoysiagrass: 1-2
(Note: Mowing at heights below 1.5 inches requires a reel mower).

There may be some benefits gained by adjusting mowing heights WITHIN the recommended range at times. For example, it is a good practice to mow warm-season grasses at the higher end of recommended heights during late summer and early fall because this practice should help them store more carbohydrate reserves for the winter, and it may reduce the incidence of certain cool-weather diseases. But the rule to remember is to stay within the recommended height range for your species. (Ward Upham)

MISCELLANEOUS
Amending Soils with Sand
Sand is sometimes suggested as an amendment material for clay soils. However, there is good reason to be cautious about using sand. In order for sand to be effective in breaking up a clay soil, sand grains must touch one another so there are pore spaces between grains that can hold air and/or water. If the grains do not touch, the clay fills in all the voids between the sand particles leaving no room for pores. This is the same principle used to make concrete and the result is somewhat the same. You end up making a bad situation worse. So how much sand does it take for it to be effective? Normally, we consider about 80 percent sand to be sufficient. In most cases this makes the use of sand impractical. The addition of organic matter is a much better choice. (Ward Upham)

Work Garden Soil in the Fall
Fall is the preferred time to prepare garden soil for next spring’s vegetable garden. Spring is often wet making it difficult to work soil without forming clods that remain the rest of the season. Fall usually is drier allowing more time to work the soil when it is at the correct soil moisture content. Even if you work soil wet in the fall and form clods, the freezing and thawing that takes place in the winter will break them down, leaving a mellow soil the following spring.
Insects often hide in garden debris. If that debris is worked into the soil, insects will be less likely to survive the winter. Diseases are also less likely to overwinter if old plants are worked under. Also, the garden debris will increase the organic matter content of the soil. Working the debris into the soil is often easier if you mow the old vegetable plants several times to reduce the size of the debris.
Fall is an excellent time to add organic matter. Not only are organic materials usually more available in the fall (leaves, rotten hay or silage, grass clippings) but fresher materials can be added in the fall than in the spring because there is more time for materials to break down before planting. As a general rule, add 2 inches of organic material to the surface of the soil and till it in. Be careful not to overtill. You should end up with particles like grape nuts or larger. If you work your garden into the consistency of dust, you have destroyed the soil structure. (Ward Upham)

Spring-flowering Plants Blooming in the Fall
Whenever we have a summer that puts a lot of stress on plants, bloom may appear on ornamentals that normally flower in the spring. This stress is usually caused by hot, dry periods but may be caused by other factors that stress the plant. Iris that are blooming now are probably reblooming varieties that normally bloom twice a year.
Fall flowering of plants is normally sparse and does not appreciably affect the amount of bloom the following spring. (Ward Upham)

Contributors: Ward Upham, Extension Associate

Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-6173

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