Why Is The Grass Green?
They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. And right now, it may be true. Minnesota lawns are currently ranging from stubborn brown to patchy brown-green to full-on green. “I don’t care what kind of grass it is, as long as its green,” said Sharon Sandgren, as she raked her St. Paul lawn. Because of the cooler than average temperatures this spring, “we’re a little late this year compared to usual,” said Dr. Eric Watkins, Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Breeding and Genetics at the University of Minnesota. “The big thing is temperature. Soil temperature, air temperature, and the plant can be actively growing,” he said. For Kentucky Bluegrass, the most common type of grass in Minnesota, the optimal soil temperature for spring growth is in the 50s. The plant starts growing again in the upper 40s. According to Watkins, the green is a byproduct of photosynthesis, the process by which the sun’s energy is converted into chemical energy stored as sugar inside the plan
Grass and most other plants are green because they contain a pigment known as chlorophyll. The chlorophyll is used in the process of photosynthesis where a plant produces sugar in the presence of sunlight. In fact the word ‘photosynthesis’ means literally to synthesize or ‘make’ from light (photo). There are, of course some plants which do not contain chlorophyll, and these generally get their nutrition (food) by other means. Some examples are the fungi which decompose dead, and sometimes living, tissue, for their food. You will find that a green plant needs light to make food. If the source of light is cut off, the plant dies. Mushrooms, which are fungi, do not require light to make food (they decompose matter as I mentioned above) and you can find mushrooms growing in almost total darkness. The process of photosynthesis is described in great detail in many science books. It is really the process by which life as we know it is able to continue and renew itself. http://www.newton.dep.a
