Extension Turfgrass Maintenance Essential Elements

Actively growing turfgrasses usually contain more than 75 percent water. Their “dry” matter holds 16 nutrient elements considered essential for survival, flowering and/or seed production. Turfgrasses receive three of these, carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O), from carbon dioxide in the air and from water. The remaining essential elements are minerals, most often supplied by the soil. Healthy turfgrass roots are ideally suited for their uptake from moist soils. Root systems are usually fibrous, extensive and have a very large surface area. Once inside the roots, many of the mineral elements are transported through a vascular system, the xylem, to other areas of the plant.