Top 7 Reasons You Should Kill Your Lawn
Growing up in the 1960s as I did, lawns were a point of pride for homeowners. If your grass wasn’t in tiptop shape, you were a neglectful, ineffectual citizen. Right now, I’m listening to the rattle of a manual lawn mower as my neighbor pushes it across his small patch of lawn. On weekends, a deafening chorus of motorized lawn mowers takes over. I love a beautiful stretch of green, healthy grass as much as the next person, but I have long thought that the maintenance is killing us.
Read the history of the lawn to learn why lawns are impractical and wasteful. And more history.
Here are the Top 7 reasons to let your lawn go:
- Lawns are the ‘largest irrigated ‘crop’ in the United States, using up 30-60 percent of urban fresh water.
- More herbicides per acre are used on lawns than in agribusiness.
- Phosphorus run-off from lawn fertilizer causes algae blooms that deprives lakes of oxygen, asphyxiating fish.
- On average, 7,600 Americans are injured every year using lawn mowers.
- More than $5 billion in fossil-fuel-based fertilizers and $700 million in synthetic pesticides a year are poured onto lawns.
- In the U.S. an estimated 7 million birds are killed yearly by pesticides used in lawn care.
- America’s lawnmowers burn 800 million gallons of gas a year, producing up to 5 percent of total U.S. air pollution.
What can replace a lawn? Lots of things, including a rock garden; gravel; a food garden; sculpture; a patio; ornamental grasses; or plants, shrubs or trees that don’t need chemicals to grow. Visit Sustainable Gardening, Sloth Drool and Grist Mill for more information on the Lawn Reform Movement.
A few days ago, while walking the dog, I noticed that a neighbor of mine has pulled up the lawn in front of his place and replaced it with mulch. Bravo!
August 15th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I wrote a post about this not long ago.
We have a lawn, but it isn’t pedigreed. We let the native grasses and clover spread. We don’t water or use ANY chemicals. Our yard stayed green through a 3 year drought.
Lawn Nazis in their little yuppie compounds make me retch!
August 15th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I don’t water (not that I’ve needed to this summer) my lawn…the dogs do, ocassionally
And I don’t use herbicides … what grows there grows, and it looks pretty good, natural, you know? Lots of mushrooms this year.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Hmmm, the only reason I got rid of the lawn is beacause I hate mowing it!! My garden now is a lovely patio with side beds that I just weed every now and then – it looks after itself!!
August 15th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I read about this in the New Yorker, and it makes me very sad. I don’t have a lawn, but desperately want one, someday. What if I promised not to mow it (very often)?
August 15th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Googie: And limit the chemicals, OK?
August 16th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
We made a tiny yard so the kids have a place to run. We got a non-motorized lawn mower and even with that it only takes about 15 minutes to mow. That’s all we do. No chemicals because of pets and kids.
August 17th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It’s good to hear that some folks are starting to go the way of less lawn care.
August 17th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Ok, my imaginary lawn will have no chemicals. I promise.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:01 am
You missed one! By growing grass as single plant– a mono ecosystem — there typically is greater erosion! More soil ends up washing loose. When other plants encroach (ie., weeds), it actually helps stabliize the soil!
Having said this, I’m something of a perfectionist … and it’s difficult to watch our yard sprout weeds! It’s difficult watching the lawn grow to greater lengths before we will mow it. And it’s tough watching the green fade during dry weather. But, we live directly above a major watershed, so it’s very important to us to keep our land on our hillside and out of the waterways … and NOT to contribute to the chemical pollution. Besides, our lawn IS heathier for the plant life, wildlife, ourselves and our neighbors. I remind myself of that often!
August 19th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Brenda, thanks for pointing this out.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Don’t kill the lawn – keep sheep! Sheep are good. Sheep are cute. They used to keep sheep on the Boston Common! More sheep, less mowing. More sheep, please!
~ hb33, a rabid knitter ~
August 28th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
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