32 votes

Lawns are the number one irrigated ‘crop’ in America. They need to die

23 comments

  1. [6]
    Thrabalen
    (edited )
    Link
    I was leery until I saw the "replace with native grass" bit. I, too, hate the idea of a sculpted lawn (too much like the "continental clip" style of poodle grooming), where you want the look more...

    I was leery until I saw the "replace with native grass" bit. I, too, hate the idea of a sculpted lawn (too much like the "continental clip" style of poodle grooming), where you want the look more than you actually want a green space. I feel that green space is necessary for some people's state of mind, but a manicured lawn looks too fake to provide that, in my opinion.

    12 votes
    1. [5]
      Catt
      Link Parent
      I love the idea of native grass, but nothing quite grows like Kentucky blue. Our native grass is super prickly and unfriendly. I would love to just have whatever grass and not be expected to keep...

      I love the idea of native grass, but nothing quite grows like Kentucky blue. Our native grass is super prickly and unfriendly. I would love to just have whatever grass and not be expected to keep it super green or mow it.

      8 votes
      1. [2]
        RapidEyeMovement
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        The real problem to a lot of alternatives landscapes, is that they do not hold up, so if you have kids, grandkids, pets ,etc. You want them to be able to enjoy being outside in your yard without...

        The real problem to a lot of alternatives landscapes, is that they do not hold up, so if you have kids, grandkids, pets ,etc. You want them to be able to enjoy being outside in your yard without worry about them destroying it.

        The real beautiful thing about grass is that it is resilient to being stepped on, jumped on and just generally used. Most alternative landscapes seem to if fail on this one basic feature. So it is nice to look at and lighter water use, but they just do not hold up to being live in.

        7 votes
        1. Catt
          Link Parent
          Very good point. I can't imagine laying down with a book on the natural scratchy yellow grass that's natural for us.

          Very good point. I can't imagine laying down with a book on the natural scratchy yellow grass that's natural for us.

          3 votes
      2. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. Catt
          Link Parent
          Definitely true. Honestly I'm kinda seeing that now. Not for grass, as that stuff is pretty easy to grow on relatively little water compared to trees and bushes. We really need more trees in our...

          Definitely true. Honestly I'm kinda seeing that now. Not for grass, as that stuff is pretty easy to grow on relatively little water compared to trees and bushes. We really need more trees in our area, but they just won't grow (even ones for our zone).

      3. The_Fad
        Link Parent
        #EatTheHOA

        and not be expected to keep it super green or mow it

        #EatTheHOA

        1 vote
  2. [14]
    The_Fad
    Link
    There was a similar article I saw recently in which the author laid out the benefits of replacing manicured lawns with gardens. I think that'd be an excellent way to move people away from The Land...

    There was a similar article I saw recently in which the author laid out the benefits of replacing manicured lawns with gardens. I think that'd be an excellent way to move people away from The Land of the Lawn Weenies and into something much more ecologically sustainable. To be fair, though, I also really, really, really hate mowing the lawn.

    6 votes
    1. [13]
      zmk5
      Link Parent
      lol I hate mowing the lawn too. I agree with the article about trying to replace lawns with more community gardens and such. The issue I have though is that many people don't have time to do it. I...

      lol I hate mowing the lawn too.

      I agree with the article about trying to replace lawns with more community gardens and such. The issue I have though is that many people don't have time to do it. I guess this a modern problem, but when most households are dual income the propositions offered by the article are difficult to enact. Local government policy could provide a solution, but I'm not sure how effective it would be or what it could do to convince people to convert their lawns.

      2 votes
      1. [11]
        alyaza
        Link Parent
        people who don't have time to garden could always probably do something like a rock lawn. those are reasonably common here in colorado where there's not much rain, and obviously they have less...

        people who don't have time to garden could always probably do something like a rock lawn. those are reasonably common here in colorado where there's not much rain, and obviously they have less maintenance than an actual lawn or a garden. i guess one issue with that could be cost though, since i believe they're pretty expensive.

        3 votes
        1. [9]
          Catt
          Link Parent
          We looked into a rock garden and unless you're pouring concrete everywhere, they are high upkeep. Weeds and ice cleaving are the main issues. Next, without grass or some type of plants, the wind...

          We looked into a rock garden and unless you're pouring concrete everywhere, they are high upkeep. Weeds and ice cleaving are the main issues. Next, without grass or some type of plants, the wind will pick up the rock dust and lighter rocks or rubber mulch and just send it everywhere.

          For us, grass turned out to be th cheapest and lowest maintenance. We don't water it unless theyre literally dying though.

          3 votes
          1. [8]
            cfabbro
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            If you do it right, rock gardens are actually very little upkeep. And by that I mean laying down properly pinned, heavy duty (commercial grade) landscaping fabric underneath the rock garden. With...

            If you do it right, rock gardens are actually very little upkeep. And by that I mean laying down properly pinned, heavy duty (commercial grade) landscaping fabric underneath the rock garden. With landscaping fabric underneath it, upkeep is basically just light weeding once a week, plucking any small weeds that have popped up. But since there is no exposed soil and their roots can't penetrate the fabric, they will pull out (roots and all) with no effort.

            Modern commercial grade landscape fabric should last a good 10-15 years before it needs to be replaced too, even in cold weather climates like here in Canada. The thin, consumer grade stuff doesn't last nearly as long though, which is why I wouldn't recommend cheaping out on it.

            And I have never had an issue with wind blowing around the stones either. Although I suppose that could be an issue if you go with really small gravel. Rock dust I have never seen mentioned as an issue though. Landscape fabric is permeable and porous, so any dust gets washed below it.

            3 votes
            1. [7]
              Catt
              Link Parent
              See for me, 10 - 15 years is a short time for landscaping, especially considering how expensive it can be, either financially or labour-wise. My parents had a pretty nice garden that included some...

              See for me, 10 - 15 years is a short time for landscaping, especially considering how expensive it can be, either financially or labour-wise. My parents had a pretty nice garden that included some rock bits and I remember how much work it was to lay (including all the barriers) initially, and then to basically pull up and relay in about ten years time.

              2 votes
              1. [6]
                cfabbro
                (edited )
                Link Parent
                Commercial grade landscaping fabric is ~$10/100ft² by the roll at the hardware store, and even cheaper when your order it in bulk. And which is more work, spending a weekend laying down new fabric...

                Commercial grade landscaping fabric is ~$10/100ft² by the roll at the hardware store, and even cheaper when your order it in bulk. And which is more work, spending a weekend laying down new fabric every 10-15 years (which anyone in decent shape can do, since it doesn't require any specialized knowledge), and 10 minutes weeding once a week... or traditional lawn/garden maintenance (mowing, aeration, raking, weeding, planting, fertilizing, etc)?

                I can see how it might be intimidating... but honestly, I have been doing my own (and my friends'+family's) landscaping for over 20 years now, and other than some time and perspiration, it's really not difficult at all, and always worth the effort in the long run when it comes to labour saving, IMO.

                3 votes
                1. [5]
                  Catt
                  Link Parent
                  I'm sure it depends on the landscape in question, but yeah. Initial laying wasn't too bad, but having to dig up all the rock in the beds to pull up the old stuff and then relay was kind of back...

                  I'm sure it depends on the landscape in question, but yeah. Initial laying wasn't too bad, but having to dig up all the rock in the beds to pull up the old stuff and then relay was kind of back breaking. And for cost, barrier fabric was cheap. Nice rock and stone, not so cheap. There are cheapish places to buy in bulk, but unless you used it all, you'll have to pay to dispose of the extra, which was definitely a cost too.

                  2 votes
                  1. [4]
                    cfabbro
                    (edited )
                    Link Parent
                    Sure, big decorative stones can be expensive, but it's a one time cost (other than having to top up the gravel with a bag or two every few years)... and aggregate/gravel is only really expensive...

                    Nice rock and stone, not so cheap.

                    Sure, big decorative stones can be expensive, but it's a one time cost (other than having to top up the gravel with a bag or two every few years)... and aggregate/gravel is only really expensive if you buy it by the bag, but if you order a few yards delivered by truck from a landscaping supplier it's significantly cheaper. And ultimately it's still way cheaper in the long run that traditional lawn and garden maintenance.

                    but unless you used it all, you'll have to pay to dispose of the extra, which was definitely a cost too

                    I always order bark-mulch, aggregate/gravel and sand (for laying paving stones) in bulk and have never once had to dispose of any significant quantity of extra. If you tell the landscaping supplier the square footage of the area you are working with they have tables that tell them exactly how much you will need. And the few times I have had a bit extra to spare, I just piled it on a bit thicker and it was fine. Again, I think you're making this out to be way more difficult and way more costly than it really is.

                    Now granted, some of the labour can be a bit back breaking if you do it alone, but that's nothing a few cases of beer and some friends to help you for a day can't fix, in my experience. ;)

                    2 votes
                    1. [3]
                      Catt
                      Link Parent
                      It's great that it works out for you, but honestly these were issues I ran into. Bulk suppliers where I am have minimum orders and that was still much more than I needed, like I would need to dig...

                      It's great that it works out for you, but honestly these were issues I ran into. Bulk suppliers where I am have minimum orders and that was still much more than I needed, like I would need to dig about 6" deeper.

                      In the end, I gave up and just went with sod and it's been the easiest for me. The grass even beats out most weeds, so weeding isn't generally an issue for me at all.

                      2 votes
                      1. [2]
                        cfabbro
                        (edited )
                        Link Parent
                        Fair enough. :) p.s. Out of curiosity, do you happen to remember the minimum bulk order you can make in your area? In mine it's usually 3-5 cubic yards minimum for truck delivery depending on the...

                        Fair enough. :)

                        p.s. Out of curiosity, do you happen to remember the minimum bulk order you can make in your area? In mine it's usually 3-5 cubic yards minimum for truck delivery depending on the supplier, but if you do need less than that, Home Depot does 1 cubic yard deliveries in big square bags (but it's a fair bit more expensive). So that's something to keep in mind if you every want to do any landscaping in the future, anyways.

                        2 votes
                        1. Catt
                          Link Parent
                          Sorry can't even guess, :p. It was almost ten years ago. Did not know about home depot, that probably would have worked for us, definitely something to keep in mind, thanks :)

                          Sorry can't even guess, :p. It was almost ten years ago. Did not know about home depot, that probably would have worked for us, definitely something to keep in mind, thanks :)

                          2 votes
        2. zmk5
          Link Parent
          I was thinking more in the midwest like the author of the article stated they were from. It's much more difficult there because a lot of lawns that I have seen in my midwest hometown are huge.

          I was thinking more in the midwest like the author of the article stated they were from. It's much more difficult there because a lot of lawns that I have seen in my midwest hometown are huge.

          2 votes
      2. NaraVara
        Link Parent
        Xeriscaping is pretty low maintenance. Even just letting clover or crabgrass take over is fine since they're hardier and just manage to survive all on their own. The best move just depends on...

        I agree with the article about trying to replace lawns with more community gardens and such. The issue I have though is that many people don't have time to do it.

        Xeriscaping is pretty low maintenance. Even just letting clover or crabgrass take over is fine since they're hardier and just manage to survive all on their own.

        The best move just depends on local climate conditions.

        2 votes
  3. lepigpen
    Link
    As someone who lives in Los Angeles. Yes, yes they absolutely do and they aren't even nice to look at around here. They NEVER look good unless they used an imported soil with some extra chemicals...

    As someone who lives in Los Angeles. Yes, yes they absolutely do and they aren't even nice to look at around here. They NEVER look good unless they used an imported soil with some extra chemicals for growth and insane amounts of water. And you have to keep doing that. Any lapse in that meticulous care and the lawns around here immediately go yellow and weeds pop up. Humans are short sighted and stubborn.

    Meanwhile some of my neighbors have amazing looking landscaping with succulent plants, native sand/dirt composition, and some cool rocks and various man made decorations. They look 1000% more interesting and aesthetic than half green lawns -_-

    5 votes
  4. JXM
    Link
    The county where I live (southern US), recently passed a fertilizer ban for most of the year. The only people who showed up at the meeting where they voted on it to complain were the lawn...

    The county where I live (southern US), recently passed a fertilizer ban for most of the year. The only people who showed up at the meeting where they voted on it to complain were the lawn maintenance companies. Everyone else (including our local EPD) were unanimously in support of it.

    2 votes
  5. themadfarmer
    Link
    Lawns are one of my major pet peeves. The article states that some communities mandate lawn care. My entire county does, and it is a predominately rural midwest county wherein the only population...

    Lawns are one of my major pet peeves. The article states that some communities mandate lawn care. My entire county does, and it is a predominately rural midwest county wherein the only population density is in the county seat.

    Something the article doesn't really touch on is the disproportionate amount of carbon emissions and particulate pollution that is generated by mowing, trimming, etc. Small engines are particularly inefficient. heavy reading from EPA on pollution from lawn and garden engines

    2 votes