2. The average sized lawn in the U.S. (10,000 sq. ft.) will generate about 2000 lbs. of clippings annually.

3. In a well maintained, thick, low cut 10,000 square foot lawn there will be:

• about 6 turf plants per sq. in.
• about 387 miles of roots per grass plant
• about 850 turf plants per sq. ft.        
• about 2 to 3 billion miles of roots.
• about 8.5 million turf plants (which equals 15 round trips between the sun and earth) 

4. If you were to apply the antibiotics streptomycin and ox tetracycline against wilt, you would be required to wear a respirator and protective clothing. Yet your doctor might prescribe these as antibiotics if you have strep-throat or pneumonia! “Banner’s” active ingredients, micosin and miconazol, that would require protection against skin exposure, are active ingredients for various topical ailments, infections, and rashes.

5. There are over 250 Perennial Ryegrass varieties eligible for certified Oregon production... only 151 of those are in production. There are 227 eligible varieties of Tall fescue... with 162 in production, and there are 159 eligible varieties of Kentucky bluegrass with 79 in production.

6. It takes 100 growing degree days per each leaf of a grass plant for establishment? The plant itself is fully established when three leaves have fully emerged. Sequential to the emergence of the third leaf is the emergence of the first tiller from the base of the first leaf. This pattern is true of all grasses.

7. Turf requires about 43” of water per growing season? While some parts of the country easily exceed this amount, timing is not always the best. Times of insufficient moisture results in wilting and dormancy. Excess moisture can bring about disease pressure.

8. Twelve or more hours of moist foliage can trigger a major disease outbreak. The shorter the time the grass is wet, the less disease problems there will be. The infection of a plant by a fungal pathogen requires spore germination and development before tissue penetration can occur. The requirement of leaf wetness for these processes to occur in part explains the reason why leaf-spot is more serious in lawns on the north side of a building or in low areas where the turf remains moist for extended periods of time.

9. Over 25 million acres of turf are in home lawns, 11 million in commercial or other sites, and 5.63 million in roadsides. Interestingly, only 1.4 million are in golf courses.

10. Endophytes are a fungus that live inside infected grass plants. Some grass varieties grown for turf seed have high levels of endophytes. Toxins produced by the fungus are harmful to insects feeding on the surface areas of the leaves. This natural insecticide is both non-appealing and sometimes fatal to the insects, thereby reducing the need for chemical insecticides. Affected insects include chinch bugs, sod webworms and billbugs, but not sub-surface insects such as Japanese beetle grubs. Endophyte-enhanced varieties can also have increased growth and vigor, making the varieties better tolerable of drought stress, summer weed invasion, and other possible turf diseases. The advantages of endophyte are most obvious during the late summer and fall months.

11. Endophyte is transmitted only by seed, and its entire life cycle takes place inside plant tissues. A plant does not become infected from its neighbors, nor can it infect other plants. Since it does not affect the appearance of the grass plant, its presence can be detected only by laboratory analysis. Although seed may decrease in endophyte over time, plants that are infected maintain their endophyte fungus. It is best to plant endophyte seed within two years of harvest.

12. There are at least six types of Kentucky Bluegrass. According to the 1993 Rutgers's Turfgrass Proceedings, these include the following: Aggressive types, such as Limousine and A-34, are dense with aggressive lateral growth. The BVMG types, such as Viva and Merit, are medium-wide, medium low growing, and medium dense.  Common/Midwest types, such as Huntsville and S-21 are usually erect and narrow, making them great for pasture and low maintenance turf. Mid-Atlantic types, like Wabash and SR2000, are very vigorous, medium high in density, and deeply-extensively rooted. Compact types, such as Midnight and Glade, are low and compact giving them excellent late spring ratings, but higher susceptibility to summer stress and drought. The Bellevue types, like Classic and Trenton, are similar to the BVMGs with medium-low growth, medium-wide width, and medium density.

13. Nationally, golf is a $20 billion per year industry.

14. Annually, golfers spend $3,246 each on their game and play 41 million rounds.  Their average annual income in $55,000.

15. It costs an average of $30,000 per hole per year to maintain a golf course.

16. Over 25 million acres of lawn are tended in the US.

17. The Gallup poll showed that the top five benefits of a well-maintained lawn and landscape are:

• A property that helps beautify the neighbourhood.
• A place of beauty and relaxation for family, employees or visitors. A property that reflects positively on its owner.
• A comfortable place to entertain, work at or visit.
• A property that has increased real estate market value.