Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

niyad

(114,012 posts) Sat Jun 17, 2023, 01:26 PM Jun 2023

Is Your Lush, Green Lawn Killing Mother Nature?

Is Your Lush, Green Lawn Killing Mother Nature?
By Jim Hightower

Growing up, I learned a lot of valuable lessons from the example set by my Ol' Texas Daddy: a strong commitment to the Common Good, a healthy work ethic and a lively sense of humor. But there's one thing about him I've rejected: his determination to have a perfect yard of thick, verdant, St. Augustine grass. Lord, how he worked at it: laying sod, (watering), fertilizing, (watering), weeding, (watering), spreading pesticides, (watering), mowing... (more watering). But it was too hot, too dry, too infested with blight, bugs, slugs and such. He was up against Texas nature, and he just couldn't win.
. . . . . . .

Beauty and piety aside, though, the spread and intensification of "lawn culture" has become an environmental extravagance that is already unsustainable in whole sections of our country, and it adds up to a steadily-increasing burden on Earth's essential resources. While grass itself is natural, planting and keeping it alive year-round across thousands of square miles is not. And there's nothing "green" about the deluge of pesticides, fertilizers, growth stimulants — and endless rivers of water — applied again and again, yard after yard, trying to keep each of these plots green. And — O, the irony! — their "green" includes eliminating bees, doodle bugs, butterflies... and, well, nature. One statistic tells the tale: Americans use over 70 million pounds of pesticide annually to maintain their lawns. That's 10 times more poison per acre than all of America's farmers use on their crops.

. . . . .

Of course, some people consider a wild yard to be too scruffy, unattractive... unruly. That's their choice, but some also insist that tight and tidy grass lawns must be everyone's choice. So, they proclaim themselves to be the yard police, demanding that cities and homeowners associations make green-grass-uniformity the law, filing busybody lawsuits and running right-wing social media campaigns targeting people and groups that dare supplant the "perfect lawn" as the ruling aesthetic.

This is not a diatribe against grassy plots, which can be natural joys. But let's get real, get creative and get in touch with the full balance and beauty of nature. These attacks are silly because... well, they are silly, and because they're attacking the future, which is nearly always a losing strategy. You can promote ground-cover sanity right where you live with native plants, xeriscaping, organic methods, rain gardens and "re-wilding" your yard and community. To work for yard sanity and choice, go to https://www.rewild.org/about-us

https://www.creators.com/read/jim-hightower/01/23/is-your-lush-green-lawn-killing-mother-nature

4 replies

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Is Your Lush, Green Lawn Killing Mother Nature? (Original Post) niyad Jun 2023 OP

Oh yes. St. Augustine grass. Of course we have to have it due to HOA jimfields33 Jun 2023 #1

I'll never understand this notion of poisoning the landscape Hermit-The-Prog Jun 2023 #2

About a third of my 2 acres is posted with these signs, multigraincracker Jun 2023 #3

I'll keep the grass, thanks. HOA used to be a stickler for edging, so yard guys mow txwhitedove Jul 2023 #4

jimfields33

(16,194 posts)

1. Oh yes. St. Augustine grass. Of course we have to have it due to HOA

Reply to niyad (Original post)

Sat Jun 17, 2023, 01:43 PM

Jun 2023

I hate it because it takes a ton of water to maintain which is costly. But so are rocks, which gets weeds. I spend more money on the lawn here in Florida than the two acres I had in Maryland. The full year round sun actually doesn’t help the cause. Hot most of the time. It is beautiful though.

Hermit-The-Prog

(33,598 posts)

2. I'll never understand this notion of poisoning the landscape

Reply to niyad (Original post)

Sat Jun 17, 2023, 01:47 PM

Jun 2023

If you have an infestation, it's from an imbalance.

I mow my yard, but that's it. Rain provides the water, critters and rotting grass and leaves provide the fertilizer, and the bugs have been battling since before we stood upright. There are some ironweeds that don't get mowed because they have pretty blooms in summer. Also some poke is left to run wild -- it's already much taller than I am and spread out to about 10 ft in diameter -- because my grandson likes to do battle with the dead stalks late in the fall or early winter. If something interesting pops up, I can mow around it until I see what it becomes.

A lawn without some wildness in it is boring.

multigraincracker

(32,764 posts)

3. About a third of my 2 acres is posted with these signs,

Reply to niyad (Original post)

Sat Jun 17, 2023, 03:55 PM

Jun 2023

"No Mowing-Butterfly Habitat."
The rest is sandy soil with little grass. Most of the back, I mow 1 or 2 times a year..

txwhitedove

(3,934 posts)

4. I'll keep the grass, thanks. HOA used to be a stickler for edging, so yard guys mow

Reply to niyad (Original post)

Sun Jul 9, 2023, 01:41 PM

Jul 2023

every other week and deep edging. Found mowing every week scalps yard and it burns up. I can't afford every week anyway, and only clean up once a month in winter. Must be doing something right here in Houston area, cause I don't water the grass. Helps to have a huge oak and huge pine tree strategically shading the back and front yard. Also use rain barrel and bucket to help watering plants.

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