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My grass is native. Its densely-matted roots stabilize against erosion and make walking on wet ground possible. I let it go to seed once. It grew several feet

My grass is native. Its densely-matted roots stabilize against erosion and make walking on wet ground possible. I let it go to seed once. It grew several feet tall and fell over, which led to thinning out, which left the yard muddy and slippery. Do not recommend. Bare spots quickly fill with saplings or poison ivy that have to be removed, anyway. My electric mower and weed eater do just fine without direct pollution, and my fern flowerbed is still muddy.

foobiter 5y ago
some grass is indeed native, that’s not what this article is advising against… many many lawns have grass in places where it would otherwise not grow
HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
We achieve a similar effect by benign neglect: I never mow more than once a week and often it happens in 2-week intervals or when I'm bored. 2+ acres gets to be a pain, even on a riding mower. When we moved in, the lawn was whatever grass the previous owner had maintained. Now it's grass, various forms of clover, daisies and black-eyed susans in the areas where I only mow every couple weeks or so and a bunch of plants I can't identify. I like it, but the dandelions are spreading more than I want them to, so I may have to do something about that.
- ragingrobot 5y ago
  > and a bunch of plants I can't identify. Check out Planet.net as I mentioned above, it works pretty well. > but the dandelions are spreading more than I want them to, so I may have to do something about that. Like bitter greens, perhaps in a salad? Just pick the small leaves, and although I haven't noticed, supposedly they're no good too late in the season.
  - beej71 5y ago
    Also search for dandelion coffee. Delicious stuff, though time-consuming to prepare. Personally, I like the plant. Nice flowers, doesn't need watering.
- foobiter 5y ago
  IMO dandelions look better when there are a lot of them, bees love them too! let them grow
readflaggedcomm 5y ago
To reply to foobiter's dead comment: >some grass is indeed native, that’s not what this article is advising against… many many lawns have grass in places where it would otherwise not grow No, they advising against suburban grass maintenance in general. This without considering downsides of clean flower beds without the dense root structure homeowners are used to, or snake-friendly hiding places near your front door. Thick, muddy, pest-filled brush is native, but I have enough of it without it around my house and walkways.

foobiter 5y ago

some grass is indeed native, that’s not what this article is advising against… many many lawns have grass in places where it would otherwise not grow

HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago

We achieve a similar effect by benign neglect: I never mow more than once a week and often it happens in 2-week intervals or when I'm bored. 2+ acres gets to be a pain, even on a riding mower. When we moved in, the lawn was whatever grass the previous owner had maintained. Now it's grass, various forms of clover, daisies and black-eyed susans in the areas where I only mow every couple weeks or so and a bunch of plants I can't identify. I like it, but the dandelions are spreading more than I want them to, so I may have to do something about that.

ragingrobot 5y ago
> and a bunch of plants I can't identify. Check out Planet.net as I mentioned above, it works pretty well. > but the dandelions are spreading more than I want them to, so I may have to do something about that. Like bitter greens, perhaps in a salad? Just pick the small leaves, and although I haven't noticed, supposedly they're no good too late in the season.
- beej71 5y ago
  Also search for dandelion coffee. Delicious stuff, though time-consuming to prepare. Personally, I like the plant. Nice flowers, doesn't need watering.
foobiter 5y ago
IMO dandelions look better when there are a lot of them, bees love them too! let them grow

readflaggedcomm 5y ago

To reply to foobiter's dead comment: >some grass is indeed native, that’s not what this article is advising against… many many lawns have grass in places where it would otherwise not grow No, they advising against suburban grass maintenance in general. This without considering downsides of clean flower beds without the dense root structure homeowners are used to, or snake-friendly hiding places near your front door. Thick, muddy, pest-filled brush is native, but I have enough of it without it around my house and walkways.