GRASS IS OUR FRIEND!
Grasses. Are they just boring ground covers which require a lot of time, energy, and money to maintain? They don't have to be! That might be the perception for many people, maybe a nuisance or hassle, but the truth is, Grasses are our friends!
They can be very beautiful. They are used as nice ornamental accents in yards, as well as focal points in and of themselves. Many professional landscapers are using grasses in commercial and residential designs which, at least here in the Midwest, are becoming quite the trend. You have probably even seen some of them without realizing it. In this way, grasses are a vital element which falls into the first principle of Permaculture; Observe and interact. You can find the other principles of Permaculture here, which were made popular by one of the co-founders of Permaculture, David Holmgren, along with more information about what Permaculture is, if you are unfamiliar and interested in learning more.
See! Aren't they beautiful?
There are practical reasons to have an appreciation for grasses, as well. Farmers plant fields of various grasses to use for grazing animals, such as cattle and horses, and to brush hog into hay bales for a variety of uses, mostly also for food. Additionally, they plant fields for restoration and conservation of lands that have been overgrazed, suffered water erosion, have been overtaken by invasive species, and damaged through fires, and to replenish the soil of vital nutrients.
One important reason grasses are our friends is because they sequester carbon by helping to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which doesn't just help reduce air pollution, but microorganisms living in the soil. Carbon sequestration, as defined in the Encyclopedia Britannica says:
Carbon sequestration, the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean. Carbon sequestration occurs both naturally and as a result of anthropogenic activities and typically refers to the storage of carbon that has the immediate potential to become carbon dioxide gas.
We need healthy ecosystems in order to live!! Grasses play an important role in a healthy environment for us as well as the rest of the planet (although on a personal note, I am not a fan of what are considered lawns). Therefore, grasses should be respected. They are Beneficial and Beautiful.
I hope I have enlightened you on why GRASSES ARE OUR FRIEND!. (If you are interested in learning more about carbon sequestration, which is quite an in depth subject, you can get a head start on this topic now with this research paper published in the Wiley-Blackwell Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture's article The role of soil microbes in the global carbon cycle: tracking the below-ground microbial processing of plant-derived carbon for manipulating carbon dynamics in agricultural systems which can be found on Pubmed here:, but be forewarned, it's a heavy read. wink-wink
Well, that's all for now. Now that you are EXTREMELY EXCITED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GRASSES the next few posts will delve into a couple of specific grasses growing here in/next to my homestead, which I mention in my recent short story post WALK ALONG WITH ME #1. Stay tuned! More is on the way...
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