this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2024
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No Lawns
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A community devoted to alternatives to monoculture lawns, with an emphasis on native plants and conservation. Rain gardens, xeriscaping, strolling gardens, native plants, and much more! (from official Reddit r/NoLawns)
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I used to think lawns were dumb but then I moved to a place where if you don't take care of your yard, it's just overrun with bugs and weeds. Planting too many trees makes things damp and miserable, open areas are key, but that's where stuff grows. Most plants can't survive being mowed, but grass loves it, and the birds can pick out insects when it's low. So now I like lawns, it's the human version of a meadow. And I don't see an alternative, other than growing an extra long beard, converting myself in mud, and becoming a druid
Why not just fill it with gravel, put a few planters in if you still want some vegetation and then move on?
This is quite nice in desert areas, but doesnt work well for areas like Florida where if you dont spend hours weeding or edging religiously, you'll end up having to weedwhack your lawn because the grass and weeds have still grown, but now your mower has turned iinto a rock flinging machine with very dull blades
A yeard can be great space for kids to run and play, but still, fuck lawns for the most part. One basketball-court-sized lawn per couple blocks is plenty sufficient for kids. A soccerfield per 5 miles, and a major sports field per 10 miles...
Folks should let their yards be what the yards are in the wild.
In Florida, that means pine/oak forest with palm fronds. Maybe small grassy garden if folks want a spot to hang. But grass for the most part is shaded out by trees and covered by pine-straw and leaves.
Residential half-acre-plus fertilized lawns are stupid AF.
Maybe was cool in the 1950s when lawncare was a handy mode of wealth redistribution for a healthier economy, and no-one had thought of the negative environmnetal impacts.
Lawns used to be a big flex specifically because it took crazy labor to do; lords would show off how many gardeners they had under employ. Now folks are flexing in how they can kill everything including their wallets, free time, and planet
Push mowers are superior for small lawns.
Mowing lawnbots are the future for lawncare.