Foo - So What's Up with Americans and Their Lawns??

If you live in a house, chances are you've got a lawn. I find my lawn a necessary evil and mow it the minimal amount of times necessary to keep things looking nice when the grass is growing, and then let it go brown in the summer. IMO grass is a nasty weed that gets into the flower beds and other places it is not wanted, and that I'm highly allergic too. But millions of Americans lavish all this money and attention on their lawns, for what? It's a waste of waterand requires poisons (fertilizer, hebicide, *chem lawn*, etc.) and noisy, dirty, dangerous mowers. Do suburban lawns metaphorically represent the greatness of America? Our vestigal ties to and longings for Mother England, where the lawn originated? A way to get away from the wife and kids? It all seems kind of silly to me...Please help me out here!

I cut mine because if not then yuo have to contend with snakes in the close perimeter. I have no neighbors use no chemicals of any kind. Other than that I cannot answer any of those other questions.

If you feel that way- which I wish to God more people did- why are do you have a lawn? Why be part of the problem?
I don't have a lawn and everyone loves the way it looks.

Grass = status quo. Resist the zoysia at all costs, behold the power of mulch.

In the driest state, in the driest continent on earth I can't believe people here in South Australia persist with lawns either.

Our house is lawn free. Other spaces are taken up with paving/stones (or should I say boulders - there is a steep slope at the back with a stepped rock garden)/mulch/garden beds... looks great and no problems.

It's bad enough keeping the (culinary) herbs fed and watered :)

Our garden will have a few small squares of lawn when it's finally finished. We are installing an underground watering system that uses a rubber hose filled with tiny holes. The holes let the water go straight to the roots, no evaporation, as it all happens under the lawn. We are also going to buy an old-style hand push mower, so no petrol or noise, but constant sharpening is required.

CHEERS.

Mark

Very logical Mark - that sounds like a great solution. All our gardens etc were put in without a thought for conservation. I guess with creative application anything is possible.

Staying up in the Barossa Valley on the weekend, the lawns at the accomodation were all watered with grey water. Was great except for the mild odour de jour!

If you feel that way- which I wish to God more people did- why are do you have a lawn? Why be part of the problem?
I don't have a lawn and everyone loves the way it looks.

"why are do you have a lawn?" I do not understand that question. What problem am I a part of? You are nowhere near me, and if you were and had that attitude you would be laughed out of the region. Are you going to give me some global warming, or greehouse gas type of crap? If so save it. However if your question was to why I have a lawn which it is not it is a yard, all 20 acres which is part of 126 acres. Then see above post.

Tell me you get someone else to mow that.

No I do it. It takes me one day on a tractor because of all the trees, outbuildings etc. then one day with a trimmer. When it rains like it has been I must do this about once a week or it gets out of control. For example I am three weeks behind in one spot with a trimmer, and the growth around this group of trees is about 3ft tall.

there is nothing like walking barefoot on a nice freshly cut lawn..I live in a apartment now and dont have a lawn. I miss my old lawn but dont miss cutting the bugger

"why are do you have a lawn?" I do not understand that question. What problem am I a part of? You are nowhere near me, and if you were and had that attitude you would be laughed out of the region. Are you going to give me some global warming, or greehouse gas type of crap? If so save it. However if your question was to why I have a lawn which it is not it is a yard, all 20 acres which is part of 126 acres. Then see above post.

I wasn't addressing you, I was addressing the starter of this thread.
why - do you have a lawn. I must have written something else and changed it midstream. You can't figure that out?

My block is about 1000 square metres, most of which is lawn. It gets cut once a week or so in the summer, and about once a month in the winter. I never water it, the weather gods handle that task more than satisfactorily. The only chemical interference I do is to spray it for bindies just before the summer starts. Let those buggers get a foothold and there'll be no barefoot walking on the lawn for months.

I like having a big flat area of lawn. It gives the kids (and their friends) plenty of room to run amock, as well as the dog. Dougal can even ride his bike around relatively freely, which means he can do it pretty much unsupervised and I don't have to worry too much about him getting hurt.

When the kids are grown and moved out (o blessed day!), I've got enough room to easily subdivide the block and give my retirement fund a nice boost.

I wasn't addressing you, I was addressing the starter of this thread.
why - do you have a lawn. I must have written something else and changed it midstream. You can't figure that out?

Uh no I do not have ESP.

This will be the first time in years. I'm going to enjoy all that yard work. I got a new toy 23-hp with 54” mower & power steering. All for $6500 OUCH. Oh well, no payments for 12 months.

I live in an area with quite a few retirees. These people have nothing but time on their hands and tend to compete with each other with their lawns and flower gardens. I get the stinkeye from most of my neighbors because my lawn is much further down my list of priorities than their's. I cut it once a week and trim around the fences every other week. I use no chemicals and toss the clippings right back on to the lawn.

If I could find some slow growing, ground covering shub, something that would only get to be about 1 inch tall and grow sideways instead of up, I would replace the whole lawn.

Dan

I live in an area with quite a few retirees. These people have nothing but time on their hands and tend to compete with each other with their lawns and flower gardens. I get the stinkeye from most of my neighbors because my lawn is much further down my list of priorities than their's. I cut it once a week and trim around the fences every other week. I use no chemicals and toss the clippings right back on to the lawn.

If I could find some slow growing, ground covering shub, something that would only get to be about 1 inch tall and grow sideways instead of up, I would replace the whole lawn.

Dan

Oh, my gawd, that sounds like us. When we moved into our current house, it was owned by the bank, had been empty for a year and didn't have but 1 working sprinkler (ancient one) on the whole half acre lot. The lawn was dead, except for patches here and there of bermuda grass (may it rot in compost forever!). We killed all the lawn that was left (by smothering and not watering) and proceeded to cover the whole front lawn area with wood chips; we had no lawn, but did keep up the rest of the various shrubs and stuff that were left of the landscaping.

Our neighbor, an uppity social-climbing "woman" that thought she was neighborhood yard police captain complained and complained about our yard. Now in all truth, we did have our "down" moments with the front yard but we always corrected them when contacted by city code people. And when our back yard was reported, it was a wreck--BUT no one could see into our backyard from their yards EXCEPT when she would walk over to the "blind side" of her house--no windows on that side, she didn't even store anything there--to check our our back yard!

The clincher: she never once came over and talked to us, not once--and we were always out in the yard or drive next to her property-she would straight away call the city.

I guess for me lawns are the most over-rated section of a house. They waste money, gas, chemicals, water and time and are an invitation for gophers to move in. We live in a semi-desert region (I call it desert; no natural moisture falls for about 9 months of the year) and we save LOTS of money by not using sprinklers as I just spot water when necessary to keep the mediterranean and native California plants alive during the times of no precipitation.

I don't fertilize continually, I don't have to buy, maintain and gas a mower, I don't have to spray noxious and dangerous chemicals on my property-because I am not driven to have a friggin' lawn.

I do get to see the lizards, humming birds, sparrows, house wrens, crows, blue jays, sparrowhawks, red-tailed and cooper's hawks, barn owls, occaisional coyotes, gophers(Arrrrgh!), possums, raccoons and other wildlife that visit our yard.

I do get to breathe in the scents of native california sage, rock rose, tea-roses, lavender, rosemary, perennial basil, oregano, marjoram, decorative sages, citrus blossom and clump grasses.

I do get to eat fresh rosemary, marjoram, oregano, oranges, lemons, pommegranites, grapefruit, black-berries (for the first time this year) and maybe some bananas in the future.

To me, the pleasure and savings of work, time and money I derive from my non-lawned front yard far out weigh the pleasure I might derive from a patch of green that I would be doomed to slave over to make look halfway nice in our area.

And for me, a front yard is to look at. Why should mine look like everyone else's?

I've been using a reel mower the past two years and love it. www.reelin.com
It's quieter, easier, cheaper, and doesn't kick up dust and allergens (great for asthmatics). Grass isn't suited to grow in all areas of the U.S. In the summer I let it go dormant if it gets too hot and dry. Here's a good read on the topic: http://www.cdfinc.com/CDF_Resources/Ecology_and_Culture_of_Water.pdf I heard Dr. Wilhelm speak once...he calls lawns "drug dependent carpet".

Oh, my gawd, that sounds like us .....

Nice post! You hit upon an issue that is dear to me - the increasing “unsocialization” of America. Simply stated, nobody speaks to one another anymore! I guess it's due in part to technology - ATMs, On-Line Shopping, On-Line Forums :eek:, etc. However, most of the blame, IMHO, is due to our media's "if it bleeds, it leads mentality". We all think that America, and our fellow Americans are extremely dangerous! Therefore, we cocoon in our houses, and socialization has come to a halt. It's a shame really.

Anywho, sorry to get off track, but I couldn’t help but comment!

If you live in a house, chances are you've got a lawn. I find my lawn a necessary evil and mow it the minimal amount of times necessary to keep things looking nice when the grass is growing, and then let it go brown in the summer. IMO grass is a nasty weed that gets into the flower beds and other places it is not wanted, and that I'm highly allergic too. But millions of Americans lavish all this money and attention on their lawns, for what? It's a waste of waterand requires poisons (fertilizer, hebicide, *chem lawn*, etc.) and noisy, dirty, dangerous mowers. Do suburban lawns metaphorically represent the greatness of America? Our vestigal ties to and longings for Mother England, where the lawn originated? A way to get away from the wife and kids? It all seems kind of silly to me...Please help me out here!
I passionatly hate my lawn. I rent a house for cheap. As part of the deal I moe the lawn among other things. I freekin hate it. Now spring in VA it rains a lot then the sun comes out, you can practically see the grass grow befor your eyes. I moe it. It looks like crap after it's mowed because yes I wait till the last possible moment to moe it with the blade down as low as it will go and heeps of grass go everywhere. I don't care what it looks like. I don't sit in it, I dont walk barefoot in it, I don't have kids that kick soccer balls around in it, I could care less about it. Walking around in circles in my yard thinking about riding is definattly not my idea of a good time. In fact the other day I was on a nice 30 mile ride and actually had to cut it short and go home to moe the stupid yard! randya your preachin to the choir on this one ;)

We must have lawns so the neighbors dogs have a place to poop.

We must have lawns so the neighbors dogs have a place to poop.


That is a long trip for Libby. Seeing that we live 3/4 of a mile away from my nearest neighbor. Oh how I do love the mountains. :)

I have a lawn, I love it. I spend hours fertilizing and caring for it to make it greener and better than anyone else on the block. I hate yards with weeds and brown dead grass in them.
I think it is a matter of taking pride in your environment and your place of residence. If the yard looks bad...so do you and the house.

I like have a beautiful lush green lawn to look at and be proud of my hours of work. \

That's my.02 worth on that.

Uh no I do not have ESP.

Sorry to hear a 7 word sentence confused you. Glad I could clear that up for you then.

My house sits on a small lot 80x115 feet, two years ago I got a roto-tiller and turned under better then 50% of the grass so I could plant wildflowers (hmmm, can I still call them wildflowers if I planted them?) The only grass left is small paths to the shed and some under the arbor. I will not use weed killers or chemicals anyplace around the yard. And I don't care what my neighbor thinks....Dandy-lions are wildflowers!

Last summer I sat under the arbor and watched as butterflies came to feed in the flower beds. At one time I had counted 22 feeding around the beds...

I passionatly hate my lawn. I rent a house for cheap. As part of the deal I moe the lawn among other things. I freekin hate it.

I was talking to a botany grad student this morning and we actually came up with a good reason not to mow the grass (for us anyways). We are botanists, we want to see these amazing things develop :-D I hate mowing grass, it seems kinda silly to me. The place I'm staying at now is in the woods and has about 20 different wildflowers in the yard and some ferns. I'd take that over a "perfect" lawn that I have to mow anyday. Peace.

MOWERS, DANGEROUS?? I worked on thousands of mowers before I went into bikes, still have all my fingers and toes. They are no more dangerous than a kitchen knife unless you are a complete idiot.

I mow my grass because it makes it easier to find my house. I also respect my neighbors and keep my property tidy. Once a week with a 54" Scag I resurrected and I don't water(Not with a well!!)

Reel mowers, be they push or power, only work well on low growing grasses like bermuda. They don't do squat on a rye lawn and are hard on the grass. This is because most lawns have grasses that like to be tall, at least four inches, a reel can't cut this high. It can do maybe an inch and a half and they are really meant to cut less than an inch. Typical golf (putting)greens are mown at around 5/32 of an inch

MOWERS, DANGEROUS?? I worked on thousands of mowers before I went into bikes, still have all my fingers and toes. They are no more dangerous than a kitchen knife unless you are a complete idiot.



I hear you Rev.Chuck, I do think snow blowers are more dangerous then a mower. We have so many people up here that think they can clear that chute out with their hand while the blower is still engaged. (Hello people)

(Location: Kansas City,MO). . .
I think it is a matter of taking pride in your environment and your place of residence. If the yard looks bad...so do you and the house.

I like have a beautiful lush green lawn to look at and be proud of my hours of work. \



midwestmntnbkr, just remember that you can take pride in your environment and not have a yard that is so wastefull of water, energy and fertilizer. Just because someone doesn't like to work in theri yard/lawn doesn't make them look bad, you just think it does.

I am glad that you like your lush green lawn, but I'm a guessin' you get alot more precipitation than we do out here. Lush green lawns are much easier to have when you get some sort of regular natural water falling from the sky most of the year.




(Location: Raleigh NC). . .
Reel mowers, be they push or power, only work well on low growing grasses like bermuda. They don't do squat on a rye lawn and are hard on the grass. This is because most lawns have grasses that like to be tall, at least four inches, a reel can't cut this high. It can do maybe an inch and a half and they are really meant to cut less than an inch. Typical golf (putting)greens are mown at around 5/32 of an inch

Rev.Chuck, reel mowers work fine out here because the dang lawns aren't fast growing green monsters like they are in North Carolina! You get water from the sky during the summer! Of course it helps if you mow more frequently than once a week. And maybe where you live, mow just about every day? Consider it cross training, especially if you have a big lawn? :)

That reminds me of when we were visiting various states in the south some years ago. When we registered at a KOA in Mississippi and our car license plates were noticed we were told to go ahead and park on the grass, because we wouldn't kill it by doing so. The proprietor said that they had to tell this to all the California people because Californians always tried to park on the dirt roads accessing the campsites because they thought they were going to damage the grass!


I guess it is all a matter of where you live, how much precipitation you get and how much you are into looks. I still think that better choices could be made to minimalize the money and time and waste that goee into most house yards/lawns.

Where should my kid, and other kids play? In the street? What would you dictate that I grow there, or not? Cement? Don't we have enough non vegitation in the world?

Interesting, this rant coming from a guy that would essentially declare to a roommate, "Smoke up, dude. I respect your right to light your crackpipe in our house!"

But, evidently, you take great issue as to what kind of plants your neighbor grows in their yard or how much time they spend tending them.

Very odd.

Rev.Chuck, reel mowers work fine out here because the dang lawns aren't fast growing green monsters like they are in North Carolina! You get water from the sky during the summer! Of course it helps if you mow more frequently than once a week. And maybe where you live, mow just about every day? Consider it cross training, especially if you have a big lawn? :)

We may have one of those reel mowers. All I know is that it's been around a lot longer than me (17 years) and cuts the grass fine. My siblings and I usually cut the grass every other week or so and it always irks me to see the yard workers cutting people's lawns that I know have fully capable teenage children to do it. Not to mention the fact that it takes all of 10 minutes to mow any lawn where I live (usually pretty small lawns). I like the front of our house very much, and it certainly does make me happy to know that my parents like to have a presentable home. In the backyard we just have a smaller lawn, a deck, and some fruit trees growing on a small hill. Not sure where I was going with all of this, but I for one am in favor of lawns.

We may have one of those reel mowers. All I know is that it's been around a lot longer than me (17 years) and cuts the grass fine. My siblings and I usually cut the grass every other week or so and it always irks me to see the yard workers cutting people's lawns that I know have fully capable teenage children to do it. Not to mention the fact that it takes all of 10 minutes to mow any lawn where I live (usually pretty small lawns). I like the front of our house very much, and it certainly does make me happy to know that my parents like to have a presentable home. In the backyard we just have a smaller lawn, a deck, and some fruit trees growing on a small hill. Not sure where I was going with all of this, but I for one am in favor of lawns.

The lots in our neighborhood are mostly 1/2 acre, 1/4 that for the front yard, 1/4 the house and the rest backyard. When we had lawn (of sorts) I could mow it in not too long a time with our reel mower. Looking at my neighbors' yards, I am sure I could do theirs in an hour or so, or maybe a little longer. Everyone has power mowers though.

The new developments around here have humongous houses on leetle teeny lots. For sure those back and front yards could be reel mowed in an hour or so.

I guess I like lawns well enough, but so many people think their yard is "perfect" just because they have an immense expanse of green grass in front of their house--and alot of the time there is nothing else except a few bushes planted by the foundation. Why not confine a lawn to a smaller "outdoor room" type area where you could enjoy all the lawn planted, with nice decorative plantings around it,and not have to worry about mowing, fertilizing and working so much?

Where should my kid, and other kids play? In the street? What would you dictate that I grow there, or not? Cement? Don't we have enough non vegitation in the world?

In Texas a hundred years ago, the standard yard consisted of swept dirt... My yard in New York when I was a kid was just dirt after my friends and I got through with it. I can't imagine kids playing on a lawn gentle enough to actually preserve the grass...

Interesting, this rant coming from a guy that would essentially declare to a roommate, "Smoke up, dude. I respect your right to light your crackpipe in our house!"

But, evidently, you take great issue as to what kind of plants your neighbor grows in their yard or how much time they spend tending them.

Very odd.

Hmmm. Not sure I actually wrote enough to qualify as a rant. And, as you recall, it turned out NOT to be a crack pipe, after all...

Reel mowers, be they push or power, only work well on low growing grasses like bermuda. They don't do squat on a rye lawn and are hard on the grass. This is because most lawns have grasses that like to be tall, at least four inches, a reel can't cut this high. It can do maybe an inch and a half and they are really meant to cut less than an inch. Typical golf (putting)greens are mown at around 5/32 of an inch

My theory is that 'heirloom' grasses (for want of a better name) were suited to rell mowers because that was what people used on their lawns at the time. 'Modern' grasses are bred to be compatible with non-reel power mowers.

In Texas a hundred years ago, the standard yard consisted of swept dirt...

You consider this to be a preferable alternative?


My yard in New York when I was a kid was just dirt after my friends and I got through with it. I can't imagine kids playing on a lawn gentle enough to actually preserve the grass...

There's no accounting for some people's lack of imagination.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but have gone from being against the fixation on the 'perfect' lawn, which I'm not entirely unsympathetic to, to being against even having a lawn? I'm by no means obsessed with my lawn, but it has it's use, and it's not unattractive (certainly not in comparison to bare dirt). I don't know what kind of grass your parents had, but ours is virtually indestructable. Mere children wouldn't stand a chance.

I would much rather see a nice lawn, than a yard with 3ft weeds, an old couch, a car body and a fridge on the front lawn.:D

CHEERS.

Mark

The only chemical interference I do is to spray it for bindies just before the summer starts. Let those buggers get a foothold and there'll be no barefoot walking on the lawn for months.what the hell is a bindie? is it like a parktown prawn? Fire ants (thats pronounced fahr ants)?
funnel spiders?
The only reason I have a lawn is that the house came with it, and if I ripped it up
the homeowners association would have a cow. Next house I'll have some room,
a bit of a lawn to keep snakes at bay, maybe a horse or two, no cows spent too much
time chasing em and getting them outta the neighbors property.
Marty

My theory is that 'heirloom' grasses (for want of a better name) were suited to rell mowers because that was what people used on their lawns at the time. 'Modern' grasses are bred to be compatible with non-reel power mowers.

According to my observations and more importantly my neighbor, who is an executive (grass expert) with a large turf management power equipment company, hybrid grasses are developed to meet the needs of the user and come in every conceivable variety; cool season, warm season, taller or shorter, draught and disease resistant, wear resistant, etc. the lawn mower industry reacts to the development of hybrid grasses by designing and manufacturing equipment to handle the various types of grasses. There are as many types of mowers as there are bicycles.

In the south, we're serious about our yards. :)

I would much rather see a nice lawn, than a yard with 3ft weeds, an old couch, a car body and a fridge on the front lawn.:D

CHEERS.

Mark

that sounds like my house. I have... hmmm let me look out the window a minute....

4 automobiles, only one of which is in working order,
a wheelbarrow,
a doghouse that my dog refuses to sleep in,
7 lawn mowers, none in working order
an 8x12 shed,
5 junk bicycles behind the shed including an old Dawes, a Fuji, a Trek and several department store brands,
a 4 burner stove,
a microwave,
a mini fridge,
assorted concrete blocks,
lots of scrap lumber,
and one camper shell for a full size chevy pickup.

I would much rather see a nice lawn, than a yard with 3ft weeds, an old couch, a car body and a fridge on the front lawn.:D

CHEERS.

Mark
Don't move to SW Virginia :) Actually we just burned the couches, sold the 79 Corola and bought some Martha Stewart patio chairs for the front porch so I guess thats a step up in the world ;)

imo
The best plant is the one that takes root and grows. It cracks me up to see people in Tuscon with a green lawn, for cripes sake whats wrong with a cactus! They probably will complain about water bills too Ha Ha

You consider this to be a preferable alternative?.
Swept dirt? Not necessarily. But when and where it was the standard, it was a matter of pride to have the nicest swept dirt yard...anyway, I wasn't recommending this; it's just that there are alternatives to lawns such as xeriscape, much as there are alternatives to cars...IMO - a well designed xeriscape w/ native plants is infinitely more attractive than a lawn, which is basically boring and can be very resource and labor intensive.



Correct me if I'm wrong, but have gone from being against the fixation on the 'perfect' lawn, which I'm not entirely unsympathetic to, to being against even having a lawn? I'm by no means obsessed with my lawn, but it has it's use, and it's not unattractive (certainly not in comparison to bare dirt).
Don't get me wrong, I've got a lawn, it doesn't look half bad even thought I don't waste water on it or use toxic poisons to maintain it; I'm just amazed at the time and money that some people put into lawn maintenance. IMO where lawns are competely insane is in desert communities like Phoenix or Las Vegas. In another 100 years, when water has become a scarce commodity more expensive than oil, if these desert cities even exist anymore, the people living in them will gaze in wonder at pictures of lawns in historical society photographs from the late 20th and early 21st century, with captions describing the incredible amounts of water wasted so the inhabitants could surround their houses with a spot of green grass.



I don't know what kind of grass your parents had, but ours is virtually indestructable. Mere children wouldn't stand a chance.
Day after day of tetherball, baseball, and other boyish pursuits? The lawn didn't stand a chance...

If you live in a house, chances are you've got a lawn. I find my lawn a necessary evil and mow it the minimal amount of times necessary to keep things looking nice when the grass is growing, and then let it go brown in the summer. IMO grass is a nasty weed that gets into the flower beds and other places it is not wanted, and that I'm highly allergic too. But millions of Americans lavish all this money and attention on their lawns, for what? It's a waste of waterand requires poisons (fertilizer, hebicide, *chem lawn*, etc.) and noisy, dirty, dangerous mowers. Do suburban lawns metaphorically represent the greatness of America? Our vestigal ties to and longings for Mother England, where the lawn originated? A way to get away from the wife and kids? It all seems kind of silly to me...Please help me out here!

I'm glad you aren't my neighbor. Why cut your hair? Because it is desirable by the majority? Why dress nicely? Because it is desirable by the majority. Why take a bath? Because it is desirable by the majority. Why paint your house? It is desirable by the majority. Why get an education? Because it is desirable by the majority? Why mow a lawn? Because it is desirable.

Why have a lawn? Because it is desirable by the majority. Among other reasons...

1. It adds property value. Why? Because it is desirable by the majority. The thing that sucks is that if you have a neighbor with a crappy lawn,he kills your property value. If you have a crappy lawn and a neighbor with a nice lawn it raises your property value. Sound fair?? It's sort of like being a parasite.

2. It looks beautiful (to the majority) and helps to cool your property in the hot weather.

3. It prevents erosion.

4. It is a nice area for family gatherings and for the kids to play. It is great for outdoor sports and walking around barefoot.

5. It seperates a "developed country" from one with dirt yards and homes.

I love my lawn. I am tired of people bagging on people that have nice lawns. I think that jealousy plays a big role. It's sort of like saying I hate that Specialized S-Works Epic. I would much prefer a Magna from Walmart................sure you would. :p


You can see my lawn behind the car, it is green, thick and lush and i like it. (my neigbor takes care of the foreground, not as nice.)

Ah, the song of the status and wealth seeking blue chested middle class surburban social climber. A very common bird...and the CAR in the avatar he's using on a bicycle site...nice touch, YO!!! :rolleyes:

I love my lawn, but man, do I HATE my lawn - one of these days I'm calling a gravel company and going with a rock desert motif

My theory is that 'heirloom' grasses (for want of a better name) were suited to rell mowers because that was what people used on their lawns at the time. 'Modern' grasses are bred to be compatible with non-reel power mowers.

Naaah, try this dueling theory: It's not that modern grasses are berd to be compatible with non-reel mowers, it's the fact that most people want to mow their lawn only once a week. Trying to mow vigorous, fertilized lawn only once a week with a reel mower is kinda like trying to kill the dragon with a wood toothpick--just toooooo much work; reel mow every couple of days, and no sweat (almost!). If you can (or will) only mow once a week, MORE POWER! with the power mower.



I would much rather see a nice lawn, than a yard with 3ft weeds, an old couch, a car body and a fridge on the front lawn.:D . . .

Well, duh-uh! :D Thats why we keep all of our "stuff" in the back yard. I'm gonna be glad when our patio (and new roof) is finished. Our lower back yard is junk city right now.

Ooooh, and Ranger:


I'm glad you aren't my neighbor. Why cut your hair? Because it is desirable by the majority? Why dress nicely? Because it is desirable by the majority. Why take a bath? Because it is desirable by the majority. Why paint your house? It is desirable by the majority. Why get an education? Because it is desirable by the majority? Why mow a lawn? Because it is desirable..

And If every one desired to jump off a cliff and kill themselves, you'd do it too? :D

Sorry, my mother used to pull this one on me regularly when I still lived with her. . .



Why have a lawn? Because it is desirable by the majority. Among other reasons...

1. It adds property value. Why? Because it is desirable by the majority. The thing that sucks is that if you have a neighbor with a crappy lawn,he kills your property value. If you have a crappy lawn and a neighbor with a nice lawn it raises your property value. Sound fair?? It's sort of like being a parasite.

Our yard police neighbor thought that this would reduce her property price when she went to sell. The first year they tried to sell they couldn't "get their price" and did not sell; I talked to several real estate agents that I knew and they all thought she was "pushing the market" with her high asking price. It was let on to me by other neighbors that she thought our house was responsible for this.

Next year she did selll her house--for nearly $100,000.00 more than the previous year. Our house and yard were no different except that our back yard had been picked up though. Don't tell me that a $100,000.00 increase was due to a back yard being picked up. The real estate people told me that location is one thing, but if the price is too high, it's not gonna sell. . .

And maybe I resent all the pressure to raise the prices in our neighborhood. My husband and I intend to live here till we die and who knows if we'll be able to afford the property tax assesment in future and perhaps leaner years. . . Perhaps the bubble will burst soon our here.


2. It looks beautiful (to the majority) and helps to cool your property in the hot weather.

3. It prevents erosion.

4. It is a nice area for family gatherings and for the kids to play. It is great for outdoor sports and walking around barefoot.


You are correct on all points, but I am doing the same thing, but I use 1/3 to 1/4 of the water and time many of my neighbors do. You could save time and money too by making your lawn area smaller and enlarging plantings around the lawn area with shrubbery and perennials--and you would still have a lawn!
You could choose grassed suited to your area that would grow better, use less fertilizer and make less waste.



5. It seperates a "developed country" from one with dirt yards and homes.

I love my lawn. I am tired of people bagging on people that have nice lawns. I think that jealousy plays a big role. It's sort of like saying I hate that Specialized S-Works Epic. I would much prefer a Magna from Walmart................sure you would. :p [/QUOTE]

Duuuude (or Duuuuudette as it may be), you don't have a clue, do ya?

Nice looking yards, no matter what you plant in them, are much nicer than weeds, trash and other property run-downs.

And it's not that people are baggin' on you because you have a lawn, but did you do research to find a grass especially suited to your locale? Do you fertilize responsibly, only when the lawn needs it or using an organic or slow (time) release fertilizer, so there is little or now excess fertilizer run-off or waste from your lawn? Did you not do your research on grass types and are now automatically applying pesticides because you turf is too stressed and because of this is not able to withstand pests in your area? Are you applying pesticides and/or fertilizer automatically because your garden center employee told you that you "must"? Or because your lawn service sez ya gotta (alot of people around here do this exact thing!)?


You can see my lawn behind the car, it is green, thick and lush and i like it. (my neigbor takes care of the foreground, not as nice.)

I agree, your lawn is pretty dang nice and I fully support your choice in making it that way, but don't tell me you are doing this because it is desired by the majority.

You are choosing to do the nice lawn thing because you like a nice lawn and are willing to pay the price in time and money and pollution to have your lawn this way, 'kay? Out here though, a lawn as "green and lush" as yours would be running you a couple hundred bucks a month in water alone. If you chose to you could have a nice lawn using much less money time and pollution, under stand?

I will someday put a small out door room area of lawn in our back yard; perhaps this winter after our patio/roof work is done. I will get a grass suitable for my area, that is not so super-duper fast growing, that I might have to water once a week and mow once every 2 weeks--with a reel mower. I will get one that I will only fertilize 2-3 times a year, if that much, because I will do my research. The stuff is out there if you are willing to work a little to find out about it.

And most of all I will do the above grass-planting the economical, time conserving, less polluting, research-intensive way because I am frugal with my time and money. Yeah, that's what it all boils down to--I'm cheap, but want things to look like I have a champagne budget. So I will do the work and I will be proud of it, just like you are.

I'll think of you when I am out riding in the long evenings, as I don't have to mow a lawn or fertilize a lawn or get bugs out of a lawn. . .

And also remember that old saying: "'To each their own!' said the lady that kissed the cow."

JUst got her mowed tonight. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice...... Oh yeah, and the avatar....sure it is a car.........with a bike on the back of it. :D

The water is free, BTW, I have an irrigation well just for watering the lawn. My only cost is for 5 bags of Scotts Fertilizer per year. Around $40.

Our garden will have a few small squares of lawn when it's finally finished. We are installing an underground watering system that uses a rubber hose filled with tiny holes. The holes let the water go straight to the roots, no evaporation, as it all happens under the lawn. We are also going to buy an old-style hand push mower, so no petrol or noise, but constant sharpening is required.

CHEERS.

Mark

Very cool!

Post pics when it is done.

that sounds like my house. I have... hmmm let me look out the window a minute....

4 automobiles, only one of which is in working order,
a wheelbarrow,
a doghouse that my dog refuses to sleep in,
7 lawn mowers, none in working order
an 8x12 shed,
5 junk bicycles behind the shed including an old Dawes, a Fuji, a Trek and several department store brands,
a 4 burner stove,
a microwave,
a mini fridge,
assorted concrete blocks,
lots of scrap lumber,
and one camper shell for a full size chevy pickup.

How much ya want for that camper shell? ;)