...Does Salt Inhibit the Growth of Grass? Michele West November 22, 2015 Instructor: Dr. Matthew Routh, Ph.D. INHIBITION OF GRASS GROWTH BY NaCL 1 Introduction During the winter months, many people use salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) on their driveways to melt ice and snow. When spring arrives and the grass in their yards begins to grow again, they notice that the grass closest to the driveway is not growing at all up to about 3 inches from the pavement and the grass up to about 1 foot from the driveway is growing much slower than the rest of the lawn. However, it may not be just the salt which is causing a high salinity rate in the lawn. Too much fertilizer can also cause a high salinity rate in the soil. This combined with the salt used to deice the driveway can cause the salinity rate to rise to a lethal level for most lawns. ("Can Salt Inhibit the Grass From Growing?", n.d.). When salt builds up around grass roots, it blocks their oxygen and water intake, gradually dehydrating them, thus causing them to wither, and if the issue is not addressed will also cause the grass to die. Hypothesis Water runoff produced by the melting snow and ice during spring causes the salinity rate to rise to dangerous levels in the soil closest to the pavement which in turn causes the root system of the grass to be unable to absorb water and valuable nutrients needed for healthy growth. Controlled Experimental Method ...
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...that there is no grass growing for about three inches from the driveway. Furthermore, the grass seems to be growing more slowly up to about one foot from the driveway. QUESTION: I wonder if the grass growth is inhibited by salt? INTRODUCTION: Salt is a chemical compound (NaCl), or Sodium Chloride. Sodium Chloride has many uses in everyday life, such as in our bodies, in our food, and on our road ways. Having two elements, Sodium and Chloride, each have a number of jobs to do in our bodies. Salt is found in many of our foods naturally, from fish to vegetables, as well as being used for cooking and at the table. Also salt is used all over the world when it snows to prevent slip and falls and car accidents by it being sprinkled on sidewalks and road ways to melt the ice. When salt hits water or ice it lowers the freezing point in an effect known as freezing point depression and melting it in the process. According to (greenergreengrass.com) salt can also affect the pH of soil and can create an unsuitable environment for grass and plants to grow. HYPOTHESIS: The grass that gets exposed to more salt will not grow as much as the grass that gets exposed to little or no salt. PREDICTION: If the grass is exposed to salt then it will not grow as fast as the grass that is not exposed to salt at all. CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL METHOD: Ten patches of grass (1ft x 1ft) will be tested. At the beginning of the experiment we will start with ten patches of grass all which are 1ft...
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...is no grass growing for about 3 inches from the driveway. Furthermore, the grass seems to be growing more slowly up to about 1 foot from the driveway. Question: Might grass growth be inhibited by salt? My hypothesis is that the grass growth in being inhibited by the salt. A typical winter season last approximately five to six months and depending on your region of the world, depends on the amount of rain/snow and freezing temperatures. If your region has a combination of freezing temperatures and precipitation you will use salt to melt the snow and ice. If this is the case then you will have issues growing grass in the areas around your driveway. Rock salt or table salt will melt ice creating a combination of water and salt or “saltwater”. We use water to help out flowers, grass and other plants grow. In the winter, plows come through to clear the snow and put a salt chemical mix on the streets which secretes and either falls into drainage ditches or becomes absorbed by our soil. Through the process of osmosis the saltwater mix is moved through permeable membranes of the soil. The saltwater mix is absorbed by the roots of our grass and plants. Certain plants will benefit some growth with low salt concentration. However, with grass and other non-tolerant plants the salt concentration deprives the moisture and water from the roots. Through the roots and the cells of the grass and plants being robbed of the water, the result is irreversible death of the area of grass and/or...
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...maintain themselves, saving you a lot of effort. It has saved people dozens hours of labor, hundreds of dollars in lawn care expenses and tax payments every year, while also protecting our shared environment. Grasscycling is the easy way to a healthy lawn and a great way to recycle valuable nutrients for free. It combines a mowing plan that calls for cutting turf areas with greater frequency without removing the clippings, and low-input watering and feeding. LAWN CARE HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY 2 1. What is grasscycling • Grasscycling is a proven, simple and natural approach to lawn care. • Grasscycling (grass-recycling) is the natural recycling of grass by leaving clippings on the lawn when mowing; the grass clippings are left on the lawn to decompose quickly, they contain 80-85% water and releasing valuable nutrients that returned back into the soil. • Grass clippings add beneficial organic matter to the soil, which provides free fertilizer and produces healthy, green lawns. • Grasscycling saves time, money, and protects the environment...
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...Balancing Ecosystems Holly Regan SCI/275 August 10, 2014 Stacy Murphy Balancing Ecosystems Glimmerville City Council, It has been brought to my attention that the city of Glimmerville is now faced with the same invasive grass carp population issues as the city of Sparksville. The problem with the grass carp is once they have been introduced they kill off the native species of our local waters. The purpose for the introduction of the grass carp is to remove the overabundance of indigenous aquatic plant life in particular habitats that have taken over due to fertilizer deposits making it to our community waterways thus, making survival hard for other inhabitants. In order to receive the optimal amount of benefits that the grass carp species has to offer, it must be released into a secure environment with no possibility of escape into other waterways. This species has found its way into many reservoirs, lakes, streams, and rivers in our community intentionally and/or by accident; either way it involves some degree of human error. Because the grass carp is native to Asia, it has no natural predators in North America. Another major factor which adds to this problem is their life expectancy is quite a long time and weigh up to 100 pounds, maybe more. The large-mouth bass and a few other species of fish will eat them if they are small enough. Some of the challenges faced in restoring the ecosystem in Sparksville were (a) the farmers grew the food for the community...
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...driveway and streets to melt the snow. In the springtime, when the lawn begins to grow, there is no growing of grass for about three inches from the driveway. The grass where the salt was not placed has normal growth as usual. Furthermore, the grass seems to be growing more slowly about one inch from the driveway. This paper will explain the reason why the grass is not growing back the same. This paper will examine how salt reacts with grass. Hypothesis The chemicals that makeup the salt that is used to melt the snow during the winter season is believed to inhibit the growth of grass in the spring. Prediction Grass will not grow where there is a high concentration of salt in the soil. Controlled Experiment Find an area that’s contains healthy green grass. Place a border around a small section of that area securing it from the rest of the grass. It would be better to cut away two sections of the area. Make sure both section are identical in size. In one section 250ml of salt will be use and in the other section 500ml of salt will be used. Add the different liters of salt measurements to each section. Wait ten to twenty days. Record the information and compare the different between the 250ml and the 500ml of salt. Results The grass from both controlled areas still grew but they grew significantly slower than the normal grass. The grass started to loose color. The area with the most salt grew even thinner and slower. When salt in the soil dissolves...
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...Grass Fed vs. Corn Fed Michael Green DeVry University Grass Fed vs. Corn Fed The health of America is steadily declining and poor diet is a contributing factor (Pollan, 2006). Meat has become a main staple in the American diet in the last century. In fact, the average American consumes about 180 pounds of meat consisting of beef, pork, chicken, and turkey each year (Pollan, 2006). What the average American may not know is that most of these meats were grain fed during production, which is detrimental to the diets of both the livestock and its consumers. Grain feeding of livestock on American farms should be eliminated because human consumption of these meat products contributes to the decline in the health of America; instead, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) should require farmers and producers to provide the healthiest diet for animals to eliminate the health risks of the consumers. Problems Studies indicate that grain fed meats lack key nutrients optimal to the health of America. For almost 50 years most American farmers have been using grain to feed his or her livestock (Pollan, 2006). Grain feeding became prevalent not long after World War II when there was an over-abundant supply of grain (McCluskey, Wahl, Li, & Wandschneider, 2005). Farmers rely heavily on grain feeding because it is a cheaper product, it shortens the growth process,...
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...“Rabbits and wolves” Introduction The computer simulation named “Rabbits and wolves” is about models and simple systems. In the simulation, there are three main organisms, rabbits, wolves and grass all put together in a forest ecosystem. An ecosystem is a set of organism within a defined area or volume that interact with one another and with their environment (Miller & Spoolman). A system is a collection of elements or components that are organized for a common purpose (Rouse, 2005). The purpose of this simulation is to see how these three organisms will interact with one another in the same environment. We will see how the populations of these organisms change by modifying parameters specific to each organism and how changing the start up parameter of an organism can affect the way the others grow. Objectives 1. To view and interact with a simple scientific computer model. 2. To determine how simple changes in populations of one organism will affect populations of organism in the same system. 3. To use a computer model to complete objective 2. Hypothesis Placing rabbits in a larger forest will not only allow them to grow better and have enough sustenance but also to avoid being eaten by wolves. Results The default parameters are the following: | Rabbit | Wolf | Maximum food capacity | 45 units | 200 units | Metabolism rate | 3 units/stage | 2 units/stage | Reproduction age | 10 stages | 10 stages | Probability of reproduction...
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...Establish and Manage Your Home Lawn The home lawn and turf areas surrounding churches, parks, and office buildings do more than just serve as pleasant green backdrops. The grass plants that make up the lawns serve as miniature air-conditioners and pollution-abatement centers. On a block of eight houses, the front lawns have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air-conditioning. The plants, in transpiring water to cool themselves, also cool the surrounding area. Roughly 50 percent of the heat striking a turf area is eliminated by transpiration. When the temperature of the sidewalk is 100 °F, the temperature of the adjacent turf remains near 75 °F. This cooling may last into the night, with studies showing a 13-degree cooling at 9 p.m. This air-conditioning is not free, however. An average 5,000-square-foot lawn transpires about 3,000 gallons of water on a hot summer day. If this water is not supplied by rain, it must be applied by some other means. Turfgrass also functions as a noise barrier. Studies at the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratory in Geneva, Illinois, found Kentucky bluegrass turf more sound-absorbent than a heavy carpet on a felt pad. One of the most significant byproducts of a living, green backdrop is its effect upon the atmosphere. A 250-square-foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four. The average lawn traps significant amounts of carbon dioxide, peroxyacetyl nitrates, and ozone, as well as particulate matter. A most important effect is the prevention of soil...
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...Craze The market for grass-fed beef | Food Business News 10/14/15, 5:35 PM Login Search Advanced Search | Search Tips Home News Columns Events Resources Magazine Home > News > Consumer Trends News Business Graze craze: The market for grass-fed beef Food Safety 4/10/2015 - by Larry Aylward Consumer Trends Share This: Regulatory Purchasing Search for similar articles by keyword: [Beef] Financial Performance Food Service / Retail International Research Most Popular Supplier Innovations Read New Product Launches Shared Comments 1 Is a spin-off in store for Yum! Brands? 3 The hard sell behind organic, nonG.M.O. production 4 Farm Burger, an Atlanta-based chain that offers grass-fed burgers, opened its fifth SupplySide West exclusive: Protein surges on 2 Archive Tate & Lyle gains steam from Brazilian acquisition, sucralose 5 Slideshow: New products from Mondelez, Hostess, Barbara’s location in Berkeley, Calif. ( more ) In December, California-based quick-service chain Carl’s Jr. rolled out the All-Natural Burger, although it could be called the Take-Notice Burger. People have taken notice of the menu addition to the chain’s more than 1,000 outlets because Carl’s Jr. is the first major fast-food chain to introduce a grass-fed beef burger. The meat industry has taken notice of the All-Natural Burger because it’s another sign that grass-fed beef is becoming...
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...Balancing Ecosystems Shaneequa Wheatfall ENV/100 January 11, 2016 Rob Davie Balancing Ecosystems Dear City Council of Glimmerville, This letter is being written to assist you with effective options to help bring balance back into the ecosystem in Glimmerville in regards to the Grass Carp issue you are experiencing. I recently provided assistance to Sparksville and successfully restored the balance in their aquatic ecosystem and wanted to share a few suggestions with you. It appears that due to the Grass Carp issue, Glimmerville is experiencing an in-balance in the ecosystem. An ecosystem is “a community and its physical environment” (Berg & Hager, 2014, Chapter 5). Changes in the functionality of the ecosystem occur when we, as humans, increasingly alter the ecosystem for our use. As we did more research into the Grass Carp issue we found that the fertilizer that farmers were using caused a high growth in water supply which was backing up the waterways. To solve this problem, Grass Carp placed in the late to control this issue. Over the course of time, we found that this invasive species (Grass Carp) began to reproduce and overpopulate the lake, causing the native species (bass) to become fewer in numbers that result in laps in the energy flow of the ecosystem. The invasive species began to dominate the food chain of the native species. It is important that we, as humans, strive to restore and maintain a balance in the ecosystem. Every organism work together...
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...Dilemma Surrounding Corn-Fed Vs. Grass-Fed Beef Anonymous DeVry University The Dilemma Surrounding Corn-Fed Vs. Grass-Fed Beef There are many positive and negative opinions surrounding beef that range from the process of raising cattle to the final stage of consumption. An area of controversy revolves around the pros and cons of corn-fed verses grass-fed cattle. It appears grain-based (corn or soy) diets cause numerous health problems for cattle, creating unhealthy cattle and unhealthy meat. Two areas of concern are the nutrition and health aspects of grain-fed beef and the risk of E. coli. It is believed by many that pasture-based cattle contribute to healthy eating. Using our grasslands, which is a natural process, creates a foundation for raising grass-fed cattle (Clancy & Pollan, 2006). An animal’s diet can profoundly influence the nutrient content of its products. In a comparison, beef from grain-fed cattle only contain 15 to 50 percent as much omega-3s and are higher in calories and fat content, specifically saturated fat. As herbivores, cows are intended to graze. Omega-3s are produced from eating grass or leaves of plants which contain 20 times more vitamin E than corn or soy (Pollan, 2006 and Robinson, n.d., Eatwild). Cattle that are fed grain and confined to feedlots are prone to disease. They develop bloat, diarrhea, ulcers, liver disease, and weakened immune systems. According to a study (Greener Pastures: How Grass-fed Beef and Milk Contribute...
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...beef in America is grown with artificial growth hormones (Hanrahan, 2000)? Were you aware that these growth hormones can potentially cause cancer and pose significant health risks to individuals who consume this meat? In today's food industry it is crucial to be a keen consumer and have knowledge of where you food comes from and what it actually contains. The regulations and standards put into effect by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regards to cattle production and what is deemed to be safe have created an up heave of controversy. Consumers and researchers constantly pose the question of what should be considered safe and who should not. They often argue that when it comes to human health no risks should be taken and risk assessment should not be considered. The following essay discusses the controversy of beef cattle production regulation and standards. The essay will analyze various studies conducted that state a possible link between cancer and growth hormone used in beef, and it will outline all view points of the European ban of American and Canadian beef. The issues and controversy surrounding feedlot given to beef cattle will be analyzed and consumer concerns as well as regulations surrounding labeling of beef in America, Canada and Europe will be discussed. ARGUMENT The use of growth hormones has become widely prominent in the beef production industry. Estradiol benzoate and progesterone, which are types of growth hormone, were first approved in 1956 by...
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...Urochloa mutica is a species of grass known by the common names para grass, buffalo grass, Mauritius signal grass, pasto pare, malojilla,gramalote, parana, Carib grass, and Scotch grass. Despite its common name California grass, it does not occur in California; it is native to Africa, where it is cultivated for fodder. It was introduced elsewhere and it is now cultivated throughout tropical regions of the world for this purpose. Digitaria is a genus of about 300 species of grass (family Poaceae) native to tropical and warm temperate regions. Common names include crabgrass,finger-grass, and fonio. They are slender monocotyledonous annual and perennial lawn, pasture, and forage plants; some are often considered lawn pests. Digitus is the Latin word for "finger", and they are distinguished by the long, finger-like inflorescences they produce. 20-60 All crabgrasses have similar growth habits and flowering structures, but species are separated by minor differences in the flower structures and leaf pubescence. Sorghum halepense, commonly called Johnson grass, is a plant in the grass family, Poaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, but growing throughout Europe and the Middle East. The plant has been introduced to all continents except Antarctica, and larger islands and archipelagos. It reproduces by rhizomes and seeds. Imelda Grass or more popularly known as Imelda Flower could be seen sprouting all around Gensan. Legend says that it was former First Lady Imelda Marcos who introduced...
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...pasture system. Legumes grow faster throughout the year due to their ability convert nitrogen from the atmosphere to usable nitrogen for the plant. Although legume increase the entire pasture yield, back slopes often produces more dry matter then summits proved by Harmony et al .(2001). Brummer and associates analysed establishment of legumes in pasture systems under a number of conditions. They investigated how grass height, dayly sun light, and fertilizer affected establishment of legumes. Their experiment involved creating several plots with different scenarios. They tested several legumes including red clover, alfalfa, and birdsfoot trefoil proportionally on several landscapes. To control competition they cut the grass and added fertilizer. At the growing seasons end legumes were pulled, sorted, and counted to measure the results of the experiment. Brummer and associates results supported Harmony et al .(2001) That back slopes allowed a greater amount of legumes to emerge compared to summits when turf height was not reduced greatly or at all. When the grass did not exceed 5 cm back slope and summit compared equally or close to. In all experiments red clover emergence excelled that of birdsfoot trefoil and alfalfa. Although sward height and back slope affected the emergence of legumes it appeared the all breeds were affected equally. Brummer and associates acknowledges that legumes compete better with grasses due to the ability to fixate their own nitrogen. Applying nitrogen...
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