What is turf?

• A. The upper layer of soils bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat.
• B. The fertilizer used on turf.
• C. The mowing pattern.
• D. The irrigation system.

Answer: (A)

Turf is the living surface created when grass and its roots bind the top layer of soil into a dense, thick mat. This mat forms the usable surface for lawns and athletic fields and helps keep soil in place and provide a smooth, stable area. The other items are things you use to care for turf or influence its growth—fertilizer feeds the grass, mowing pattern is how you cut it, and an irrigation system supplies water—but they are not turf themselves.