Poll of the Day > Rant: lawns are stupid wastes of space, water, energy

(+) Yeah! (+)

Manicured lawns in particular. Oh, look at my large patch of grass. I waste money time and energy to fertilize it, kill weeds in it, cut it when it's too long, and if I wanna be extra wasteful, water it so it looks more green.

So dumb.

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I would honestly just raise goats or lambs on my lawn if the town would let me. They mow it (eat the grass), fertilize it (shitting on it), and I can get meat from them when they are old enough.

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What if it has a go gocart track on it?

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Agreed but I have kids and deer ticks carry Lyme so unless I pave my yard I'm gonna be mowing.

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Yep are lawns are total bullshit and people have them based on meaningless tradition, like so many other things in the US

if you have a nice lawn, nobody gives a fuck, my dogs are gonna shit there and Im gonna let them(Ill pick it up after with a doggy bag, but fuck you)

and if your lawn just dies or you put a bunch of rocks or something there instead or some plants that are actually native to the area and will thrive, the only people that will have any negative thoughts about it are INSUFFERABLE ASSHOLES that dont know how to mind their own damn business

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Eeyup. If you don't have the time, energy, or interest to do a proper garden (and, to be fair, many don't, and that's okay), clover looks mostly the same, never grows high enough to warrant mowing, uses vastly less water, never needs fertilizing (in fact, if you have a 50/50 clover/grass lawn, the clover will fix enough nitrogen to sustain the grass without added fertilizing), outcompetes most weeds, can still be walked on as desired, flowers occasionally so it's not just boring green all the time, and actually benefits pollinators. Grass lawns are a useless, idiotic relic of a period when they actually did show wealth, clung to by posers who haven't clued in that nobody actually believes that anymore and people who've never actually put any sort of thought into why such a wasteful status quo exists.

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Here in Vegas we have fake grass, looks just fine and you don't need to cut or water it

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Nearly everything apart from breathing and eating is a waste of energy and money.

Different people have different things that make them tick. My neighbor is a yard guy. I'm not. No big deal.

Check your local ecosystem and then plant appropriate fruit trees or bushes.

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11110111011 posted...

Nearly everything apart from breathing and eating is a waste of energy and money.

well if someones thing is contributing towards this planet becoming increasingly unlivable and displacing poor people across the globe, then fuck that person

they dont get to do their thing

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Sounds backbreakingly challenging. I think they have sprinklers and riding mowers nowadays though.

i agree. 0 ornamental grass left on any of our properties. it is a complete and total waste of time, money, and water.

What do you propose they do with that land instead?

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I agree. I think people should have veggie gardens everywhere.

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DrPrimemaster posted...

What do you propose they do with that land instead?

fuckin xeriscape it.

Let the grass grow man. We need the oxygen.

Agreed.

One of the many reason I've been trying to find somewhere to live w/o an HOA (it's a Herculean task, sadly) is b/c I want a steppable groundcover, like a meadow. There are plants that grow to a short height and stop, can handle foot traffic, and often require less watering than grass. Low maintenance? Yes, please!
But most HOAs won't allow that stuff.

Some people like, spend time on their lawn dude. Like, I'm not gonna play football with the kids on a pile of rocks.

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Smarkil posted...

Some people like, spend time on their lawn dude. Like, I'm not gonna play football with the kids on a pile of rocks.

so do it in a park or field? idk why not having a lawn means you're playing in rocks

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I only cut my grass because I have a fear of snakes biting me lmao

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It's the number one thing I've hated about home ownership since summer came around. I just feel so dumb watering it all the time (it doesn't even get healthier) and pulling weeds out of the grass (maybe I should just leave them). I got a reel mower though and I have to say it's not that bad, sure it's not as convenient as a motorized one, but it takes like an hour once a week once you get the hang of using it. Sadly most people are too dumb/lazy for that though. I saw a guy down the street with a riding mower and was like fucking come on dude. Save that for the parks, a typical suburban house is like 0.1 acres of grass.

I don't have an HOA so I guess I can do whatever I want with it but that requires a lot of labor and effort up front. And I feel obligated to keep it looking okay cause you know how people can bitch about petty stuff (plus resale), but personally if it were up to me I'd more or less just leave that shit be while slowly xeriscaping

Kanatteru posted...

so do it in a park or field? idk why not having a lawn means you're playing in rocks

I agree though I like not sharing a wall with someone, and admittedly that probably falls under the same category of "it's my space" arrogant suburban planning, so I can't really judge. Of course if they didn't build most new buildings cheaply with paper thin walls now maybe I could stomach sharing a wall. But yards can be nice to have if done right, just a little space to get outside or have a garden or something, so idk if apartments are the answer (for me at least).

We definitely planned all this poorly, and I know I can't do anything about it at a large scale anyway, but I still feel bad about my contribution... but there really isn't any type of dwelling that perfectly meets all my desires

That's why I ripped it all out and replaced it with gravel and bricks.

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I know. That's why all the land around my house is asphalt. I can park my car anywhere and I have no lawn to mow.

What's the environmental cost of rocks/stones/bricks? That's a lot of stuff to produce/transport. I'm sure it's worth it long term but I wonder at how many years it's offset.

I hope you are at least putting some low maintenance plants in here and there!

The ticks get out of control when I don't mow.

I find more snakes and mice too.

Nature tries to reclaim the house lol

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CoorsLight posted...

I don't have an HOA so I guess I can do whatever I want with it but that requires a lot of labor and effort up front. And I feel obligated to keep it looking okay cause you know how people can bitch about petty stuff (plus resale), but personally if it were up to me I'd more or less just leave that shit be while slowly xeriscaping

I don't understand your concerns...
With no HOA, who cares if people bitch about it, they can't do anything.
And resale value doesn't matter unless you're planning to sell soon. Could always landscape before putting it up for sale years down the road.

There's low maintenance grasses and plants out there, depending on your region. Usually the common downside is they're "creeping" plants so you have to plan the perimeters to keep the roots from spreading to your neighbors, but that's not too hard.

Zoysia grass is pretty cool. Aside from creeping, the main downside is it's brown for half the year. But it grows slow and takes less water.

https://grasspad.com/zoysia-grass-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Here's some other groundcovers I've got on my list to consider:

https://www.thespruce.com/vinca-minor-vines-2132217
https://www.thespruce.com/types-of-creeping-thyme-2132329
https://www.thespruce.com/blue-star-creeper-plant-profile-4846530

Obviously what you can use depends on your hardiness zone and needs. You can mix and match, too (like Zoysia grass does poorly under trees or on shade but vinca minor handles it fine, so you can have different sections of ground cover).

https://www.stepables.com/

(between being allergic to cut grass and being lazy and not wanting to deal w/ lawn maintenance, I've done a fair amount of searching on this topic, lol)

DrPrimemaster posted...

What do you propose they do with that land instead?

let shit grow there naturally

let the world just happen the way an ecosystem should sometimes

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Mead posted...

let shit grow there naturally

let the world just happen the way an ecosystem should sometimes

The problem with letting grass grow wild, thats just invites rodents into your yard, and extention into your house. Also wasps, ticks, and other pests.
Like I agree lawns are a waste of resources, one way, we should really stop with suburbs, and go with medium density, mixed zoned plotting.

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Ogurisama posted...

The problem with letting grass grow wild, thats just invites rodents into your yard, and extention into your house. Also wasps, ticks, and other pests.
Like I agree lawns are a waste of resources, one way, we should really stop with suburbs, and go with medium density, mixed zoned plotting.

yeah nature is just assholes sometimes

price you gotta pay

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I dont mind lawns. I dont really like to mow, but I also dont hate them. And then can look nice when done right
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Owning a house instead of a condo or co op is dumb.

A ton of hidden costs.

buying any home is also financially idiotic if you move every 5 years like a great deal of people do.

unless there is a drastic upswing in residential property values in your neighborhood and thats the reason for the sale then odds are the price you are selling it at will not net you much of a profit given that to the early part of those mortgage payments you are making very little of it goes to pay off your principal.
dont belive me google any amortization schedule.


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Solar panels + garden/greenhouse

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Yeah the whole concept of home ownership is a total ruse in a lot of ways. If you dont own the land then you are really just renting it from the local government and paying them for the privilege in property taxes.

Everyone should have a safe and adequate shelter or home to live in as a basic human right. That is something that we can achieve.

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Conner4REAL posted...

buying any home is also financially idiotic if you move every 5 years like a great deal of people do.

Most people I know who buy a house live there for at least 30+ years. One of my dad's friends have had the same house in his family for 150 years.

The only reason people move so often is because changing rental prices. Which isn't really an issue with houses since they are largely inflation-proof given you are willing to stay in them for long periods of time.

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I'd like to have a really small lawn - like only the thickness of the sidewalk

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I don't like my house's front yard to look like shit

Feels weird to see this topic from a guy who spent years obsessing over this appearance to the point it was a mental health concern

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Blighboy posted...

I don't like my house's front yard to look like shit

There are plenty of options that look nice and aren't just manicured grass. Native wildflower gardens, small trees and shrubs, garden beds and clover are all great. Some might argue that nothing but grass is rather boring or unattractive on their property.

Blighboy posted...

Feels weird to see this topic from a guy who spent years obsessing over this appearance to the point it was a mental health concern

Hm, you're either saying this while not actually believing the mental health bit, making light of people who truly do suffer from dysphoria, or you do believe the mental health bit and are trying to call attention to someone's dysphoria. Either way, not a very good look. I'd recommend trying to be a better person.

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Clench281 posted...

There are plenty of options that look nice and aren't just manicured grass. Native wildflower gardens, small trees and shrubs, garden beds and clover are all great. Some might argue that nothing but grass is rather boring or unattractive on their property.

I personally never really minded boring, tbh And the only one that seems easily to maintain (and wont get in the way) is the clover lawn. Which looks ok, I guess Though, I think I still like grass better From the little Ive seen, that is

Its basically comes down to preference, though What you like and stuff Plus, even without the HOA, I think were still limited on what we can do here. Plus, I rent. So, Im limited to what she allows And while a lot of people are saying its not that good, I still want to buy a house. Tired of renting, tbh
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Clench281 posted...

Hm, you're either saying this while not actually believing the mental health bit, making light of people who truly do suffer from dysphoria, or you do believe the mental health bit and are trying to call attention to someone's dysphoria. Either way, not a very good look. I'd recommend trying to be a better person.

I'd recommend learning to fucking read bud

I'm saying people are allowed to care about appearances and you of all people should get that.

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I dont care if some people like lawns. Or if some people dont care about the issue. Look at satellite images, this planet is on fire to an extent that I dont think weve seen before. Its gonna get a lot worse before it gets better and thats IF we are even capable of fixing it before everything falls apart and we are back to the dark ages all over again.

Lawns might seem like a small issue but collectively when youre talking about hundreds of millions of people, stuff like resources and energy used for lawn care and maintenance can really accumulate. Not the most pressing or only climate change contributor to be sure, but like so many things it would make a small difference in the right direction and that is what we need to be doing right now in many aspects of our lives to try and slow down what is happening to the world.

So if you like lawns Im sorry but fuck your lawn, it might be important to you or something you really enjoy but being alive and on this planet is kinda important to a lot of people too.

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Imagine equating being in shape to wasting resources maintaining a lawn. I guess if you don't have the fortitude to keep up your own appearance you can maintain your lawn to have something to brag about lol. Either way, be as mad as you want on my ignore list

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Clench281 posted...

Imagine equating being in shape to wasting resources maintaining a lawn. I guess if you don't have the fortitude to keep up your own appearance you can maintain your lawn to have something to brag about lol. Either way, be as mad as you want on my ignore list

Bruh you probably consume enough eggs and milk to power six lawns

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I mean eating eight pounds of chicken and eggs each day to satisfy your vanity isn't something that is sustainable for the planet if everyone does it either. There's a difference between happening to be in shape and being a smug fit guy who constantly tells everyone you work out.

And, as I alluded to with my own situation, some people really don't like lawns, but we don't have much of a choice because that's what poor planning going back centuries has left us with. I think people definitely don't do as much as they should to gradually xeriscape their lawns out, but in the mean time, I don't think it's crazy to do enough maintenance to keep it from getting even harder to fix up in the long run, as long as you aren't some insane Hank Hill type who needs it completely perfect.

CoorsLight posted...

but we don't have much of a choice

wrong

we are ripping out the old rules and fixing what we can. It is simply not acceptable for things to be the way they have been.

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Yeah I've definitely changed my diet in the last few years to be more environmentally friendly. Luckily I have very very little food waste because I cycle through the same things each week, barely anything gets thrown out unless it was bad when I bought it. I entirely stopped purchasing red meat, limit myself to chicken and dairy, and make a point to cook fully plant based dinners a few times each week. Don't have many eggs now that I don't eat breakfast on weekdays, though.

I could go lacto-ovo-vegetarian pretty easily at this point. Recently started composting plant scraps that used to go in the trash. Unfortunately I don't really have much available space for gardening where I rent, so I'm looking into what I can do in containers.

Also rarely drive. Walk to and from work, occasionally take the bus. Infrequent local driving to the grocery done on electric battery. I'd like to think my habits offset a portion of my choice to have occasional chicken and dairy.

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Mead posted...

wrong

we are ripping out the old rules and fixing what we can. It is simply not acceptable for things to be the way they have been.

Hes right, though. Some people dont have a choice. Like if youre renting, or have an HOA that says you have to have one Or have nothing else to out there. Plus, I feel getting rid of lawns in a stepmom the wrong direction, anyway. Thats getting rid of more nature, isnt it? The issue isnt the grass itself, right? It what it cost to maintain it. So we should fix that issue
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LinkPizza posted...

Some people dont have a choice.

It should be pretty evident that criticism isn't directed towards people who don't have the option to make modifications.

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Blighboy posted...

I'm saying people are allowed to care about appearances and you of all people should get that.

Caring about appearances to the point that one maintains a grass lawn instead of something vastly less destructive, however, is destructive and should be condemned as such.

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