Why is grass greener underneath a trampoline?

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0:00If you’ve ever owned a backyard trampoline –or jumped on someone else’s– you might have

0:04noticed that the grass underneath it is longer and lusher than the grass in the rest of the

0:09yard. It’s not just that that grass isn’t getting mowed… in fact, when it does get mowed, you can

0:14see the weird effect even better! Instead there's something else –something shadier– going on here.

0:20Plants need sun; it’s their source of energy. But too much sun can dry out the soil, overheat a

0:27plant, and overload its photosynthetic machinery, all of which can stunt its growth. Reducing the

0:32amount of sun that reaches a plant –by, say, covering it up with a trampoline that lets

0:37through only some of the sunlight– helps moisture stay in the soil, keeps temps way cooler, and

0:43stabilizes light levels for peak photosynthesis. The result, in many cases? Bigger, happier plants.