Why doesn't grass grow tall like trees?

Two things come into play:root systems and rigidity of the shoot All shoots comprise the following six parts: blade, sheath, axillary bud, node (joint), internode, and ligule (figure1). Some of these parts, such as the blade, node, and more often the ligule, are used to identify grasses when more readily identifiable parts such as the seed head are absent. Grasses also have several key growth points.

The main growth point is in the crown of the plant (plant base) in the beginning of the growing season. When grasses begin developing stems, this growth point is elevated and eventually develops into a seed head. Therefore, the primary function of the main growth point is to manufacture shoots and eventually seed.

All shoots originating from one main growth point are collectively called a tiller. Grasses also have what we'll call secondary growth points at each node (or joint) and at the base of each leaf blade. These growth points are responsible for leaf, sheath, and stem growth (figure 2).

Axillary buds (figure 1), which are located at the base of each shoot, are undeveloped growth points that can mature into main growth points and produce shoots of their own when the existing main growth point is grazed or cut off, or when it turns into a seed head. In some grasses, axillary buds can develop into main growth points regardless of the fate of the existing main growth point. However, in most native grasses, the main growth points remain toward the base of the plant where they can be protected until the change in day length triggers stem elongation, flowering, and seed production.

Once the seed head develops, tiller growth is restricted to secondary growth points and axillary buds. One of the key things to remember in grass mechanics is that leaf growth stops when the ligule is formed, and sheath growth stops when the ligule is exposed (figure 3). A leaf that hasn't formed a ligule can be bitten by a cow and still regrow.

However, once the ligule is there, further tiller growth will have to come from other leaves that haven't formed ligules or from previously developed axillary buds. Therefore, if you learn to identify grasses by the ligules, you will know that when you see one, you can write off any further leaf growth. Sources: noble.org/Ag/Forage/GrassMechanics101/In... .

Genetics Grass does not have the 'programming' to grow that tall, it lacks the wood cell structures that would allow it to grow to such a height without falling over. We are a product of our genetic code for most of our physical appearance. This is the reason a baby Giraffe does not say grow to be a zebra.

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I have a backyard with a lot of moss growing where I would like grass to be,will grass seed grow and live if I till it u.

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