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No Mow May - gardeners encouraged not to cut lawns in May
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I continue to be baffled people think those green lawns look good, such bad taste. The enviroment thing should be just a bonus for ridding oneself of such an ugly thing.
Nah, mow your lawns people. Nothing worse than having neighbors who don't take care of their lawn and leave it looking like a mess. There are better ways to help the environment that don't involve making your yard look like ass.
Pretty lame? I think it's pretty lame to leave your lawn unattended longer than it needs to be. It's an eyesore and it's just going to attract snakes and shit if you let it get too high. You can have a well attended to lawn and plant flowers and other things to be climate friendly. Leaving your lawn looking like you abandoned it for a month isn't doing a whole lot.
This is a really cool yard. It reminds me of local nature trails that feature native plants. I'd love to do this one day.We have a ton of plants and shrubs. Open to planting more that's good for the environment/insects/pollinators
We also have a wooded area out back, open to planting stuff back there, but it doesn't see much sun due to the trees.
Among all the species that have grown a "sort of symbiotic" relationship with humans because we grown them in enormous quantities for food etc, Grass kind of hit the jackpot.
We have a ton of hydrangeas that are basically insect factories.
And yeah, we'd be fined by our city.
And yeah, we'd be fined by our city.
Can't mow when a shitty lawn company kills your grass. That's what happened to me last year, so my yard is still recovering from that mess.
I've been considering just getting fake grass put in to conserve water and never bother with mowing again.
Besides, out here in Colorado, lawns are fucking hard as hell to maintain.
I've been considering just getting fake grass put in to conserve water and never bother with mowing again.
Besides, out here in Colorado, lawns are fucking hard as hell to maintain.
Lawns and HOAs are really from another era. That whole business would only make sense to people who didn't have higher-grade ways to judge people and waste time. Modern technologies for judging people and wasting time are about a thousand times more powerful.
This is last summer, currently it looks like a weed infested mess, as it should. 😈
We have a ton of plants and shrubs. Open to planting more that's good for the environment/insects/pollinators
We also have a wooded area out back, open to planting stuff back there, but it doesn't see much sun due to the trees.
these look so much better than the flat shit people wanna keep. and doesn't fuck over pollinators.
Everyone loves it and stops to watch the bees and the flowers. 😎
Best part of wildflower and pollinator planting. The bees and butterflies just floating about. We may even put in some pollinator house tubes they make now. I want all the bees
Loving these wild yards! And the anti-lawn memes are great.
Sad how many people in this thread will still mow their lawn though.
Sad how many people in this thread will still mow their lawn though.
Can't participate due to HOA, but fortunately the previous owners built a large garden in the front and sides of the house that give me less yard to deal with and more room for whatever perennials they planted around the house. I like low effort lawn work, and my wife and I are waiting to see what all grows back before we reassess the yard.
At my last place, a guy who just moved in next door had this happen. He had a company come out to spray and it ended up killing his entire lawn. He asked me what I did to maintain mine and I said that I do nothing but mow it. It took him all of spring, summer, and most of fall to finally get grass growing again.
At my last place, a guy who just moved in next door had this happen. He had a company come out to spray and it ended up killing his entire lawn. He asked me what I did to maintain mine and I said that I do nothing but mow it. It took him all of spring, summer, and most of fall to finally get grass growing again.
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A big reason we stopped using a lawn service for cut / clean was they'd come after it had rain, im talking like within 2 hours, and their ride on mowers would just destroy the yard. I could care less about if i have lush green lawn, but i do care when you are actually tearing up the lawn b/c all the dirt is super soft.
Bc there are other solutions that still allow you to have a yard?
While I haven't yet mowed it in May at this point, I'm going to have to. Don't live in an HOA community but the city can and will fine you if the lawn gets overgrown - I think the official standard is 8in tall.
That being said, I am on a solar/wind energy service and my lawnmower is battery powered. I also don't ever water it or anything else. And to help make up for the flowers, I do have a fruiting tree in the backyard along with flowers in the front. Both of which again I don't water or do anything to.
That being said, I am on a solar/wind energy service and my lawnmower is battery powered. I also don't ever water it or anything else. And to help make up for the flowers, I do have a fruiting tree in the backyard along with flowers in the front. Both of which again I don't water or do anything to.
Why do you need short cut grass in your yard, what's wrong with longer grass and wild flowers?
I really like mowing the lawn. Great time to throw a podcast on (I wear earbuds under hearing protection) and go for a walk on a nice day. That being said, I'll consider not mowing this month. I typically mow less in May anyways to all the grass to really take root.
A few years ago I switched to organic/natural fertilizer (Purely Organic, Ecoscraps, Milorganite, etc.). I no longer apply whole lawn herbicide treatments - I spot treat/remove weeds. We also have a few flower beds throughout the yard with various different types of flowers. The only pests I'm concerned with removing are wasps.
A few years ago I switched to organic/natural fertilizer (Purely Organic, Ecoscraps, Milorganite, etc.). I no longer apply whole lawn herbicide treatments - I spot treat/remove weeds. We also have a few flower beds throughout the yard with various different types of flowers. The only pests I'm concerned with removing are wasps.
As someone with kids, a yard which has a well maintained grass area offers a wonderful outdoor play space for kids and families. Sports, activities, games, and just general playing around.
Yeah, nah. Gonna cut it some time this week. I like the look of a mowed lawn. I ain't gonna be walking around in high ass grass getting ticks.
That said, I don't go overboard with my lawn. Usually every two weeks even at the height of mowing season. Plenty of time to let the bees do their thing. Plus, I never mow all the way up to the wood line that runs across the back of our yard and down one side. Plenty of tall grass and wild flowers there for them to have at it.
That said, I don't go overboard with my lawn. Usually every two weeks even at the height of mowing season. Plenty of time to let the bees do their thing. Plus, I never mow all the way up to the wood line that runs across the back of our yard and down one side. Plenty of tall grass and wild flowers there for them to have at it.
I already said that promoting weeds where I live leads to these plants that have nasty burrs that hurt my dogs and I have to pull them out from their paw pads.
Add to that ticks thrive in weeds and I end up with a yard no one in my family actually wants to go into.
I have wild flowers, I throw local seed to help them multiply. But I do that on the edges of my wooded land. I also plant gardens (both manicured and wild flower variants) through my lawn. You can support wildlife and maintain a lawn it's not that hard.
I hate lawns too, but this is the opposite of what I'd like to see done with them!
I want them stripped out and replaced with concrete/bricks/whatever, not become MORE gross haha
I want them stripped out and replaced with concrete/bricks/whatever, not become MORE gross haha
OP
OP
Stormwater needs to go somewhere, grass and soil allow it to do so. Bricks and concrete just causes urban flooding without some sort of balance. This is part of the reason why Houston historically has flooding issues. The city requires massive parking lots with all new construction, eliminating more and more green space.
We won't be participating for the same reason others in this thread have said - we use a manual mower, so trying to mow after a month would be impossible.
That being said, I hate having a lawn in our backyard (HOA maintains front lawn) because of all the upkeep and work and, honestly, I agree that it's pretty ugly. I only do it because my wife basically requires it. I'm finding myself inspired by some of the pictures in this thread to let things go a little more wild or take a more creative approach to the yard. Maybe I'll try an approach like this...
That being said, I hate having a lawn in our backyard (HOA maintains front lawn) because of all the upkeep and work and, honestly, I agree that it's pretty ugly. I only do it because my wife basically requires it. I'm finding myself inspired by some of the pictures in this thread to let things go a little more wild or take a more creative approach to the yard. Maybe I'll try an approach like this...
Had a neighbor threaten to call police for a tall grass ordinance violation after not mowing for 3 weeks once a few years back.
I'm a big time member of the fuck lawns gang. When lockdown hit in Scotland, my local council stopped trimming the grass on the verges outside the homes in my area. The grass grew waist high, and was absolutely full of wildflowers. It looked amazing swaying in the breeze, it was just great. But then the lockdown phase ended and they cut it all down, creating a huge fucking mess and clogging up the drain system because they didn't remove all the detritus afterwards.
People mowing their lawns every other day during Summer just adds to the annoyance of the season. I never understood the fetish the British public have for constantly going over their little patch of dirt to keep it clipped - wild gardens look so much nicer and are better for wild life.
No, one of the best why a individual can help the environment and climate is to not adhered to the unnatural chemical filled lawn American worship.
A yard in a dessert should not have green lawn. Kentucky Blue grass should only found in it native range- not in every yard in America. There are thousands of ways to keep a nice looking yard, free of pest, that don't include a traditional lawn.
Reduction of meticulous lawn leads to less chemical and fertilizer run off. Adds bio diversity and water retention. Prevent soil erosion. It something individual. By not doing so, people are just passing the buck to future generations, just like the Boomer past to us.
Thanks guys! To be fair though we pretty much have all aspects. Our front 'yard' is what you see. Our back yard has 2 sections. Bottom section is the 'lawn'. It's separated by bushes and shrubs to the upper yard area, which includes a wooded/brush area and a wild grassy area.
So we have all sorts lol
Compromise?
I'll mow the front of my yard so that it gives the appearance to those entering that shit is well manicured and under control.
I'll leave the other half of my yard alone for the month of May. People don't need to walk over there, so I don't have to worry as much about ticks.
I'll mow the front of my yard so that it gives the appearance to those entering that shit is well manicured and under control.
I'll leave the other half of my yard alone for the month of May. People don't need to walk over there, so I don't have to worry as much about ticks.
Mowing doesn't prevent ticks, it just means they have a lower jumping point. It's not like they go "ah geez, no more tall grass, I guess we gotta move". Ticks thrive in places where they don't have enough predators to control their population.
Yes, and when their lower jumping point is nil because they can't stand all day on a blade of short grass, you lower the risk of ticks successfully jumping on you.
Also, ticks DO need at least some cover from the sun and shorter grass does give them less habitat to hop around in. So you're right, the ticks don't decide to just up and leave a short lawn. However, they will be exposed to the elements and predators more easily. Therefore, henceforth, concordantly, vis-a-vis...less ticks in my yard.
I abandoned spraying my yard with any sort of pest control, weed control, or fertilizer a few years back. Due to the amount of trees I have, the grass is never going to going to be "perfect" even if I wanted it to be. But also means I don't have to mow that often. I am going to have to before the month is over, though, I think. Between the flowing trees and bushes I think I have a fair amount of stuff for pollinators, but that is something I'm going to try to be mindful of going forward as well.
Ticks don't jump. Also they prefer and survive longer in taller weeds, the edge of fields/woods, wooded detritus.
Because I have city ordinances that I have to obey or face a fine?
I appreciate your concern, but an overgrown lawn is an absolute eyesore. They're usually infested by weeds or other invasive plants that will inevitably take over and destroy actual plants.
