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If you don't manage it (fight it) you get the buried and re-discovered pyramids of southern Mexico (and Cambodia). Yes, there is a balance, however, the other
by mc32 4y ago
If you don't manage it (fight it) you get the buried and re-discovered pyramids of southern Mexico (and Cambodia). Yes, there is a balance, however, the other extreme is also not viable for habitation.
- ericmay 4y agoYea but we're so far on the extreme of slash and burn and pouring chemicals on lawns that it's not even worth considering at this point concerns of habitation. It's just not even on the radar in terms of things that we need to bother caring about for the foreseeable future (100+ years minimum).
- mc32 4y agoI agree that we can find better solutions than what lawns provide, however, weeds, nature and plants will take over an unmanaged property pretty quickly... maybe 20 years. In 100 places are near unrecognizable. The abandoned areas of Detroit did not take 100 years to become overtaken by nature. And that's a continental climate. In Tropical climates the rate will be quicker.
- ericmay 4y agoSure, but in the context of this discussion unmanaged property simply isn't an issue, in my view. It's too much management that's causing problems.
- wahnfrieden 4y agoOP is thinking of protecting property value
- nightski 4y agoPouring chemicals? Maybe a few do but I only apply one application of pre-emergent a year and then one application of fertilizer in the fall. That's not really pouring chemicals. In fact nature seems to thrive in our lawn.
- ericmay 4y agoFrom my time in the suburbs, people spray weed killer and similar chemicals throughout the spring and summer and into the fall. Of course each individual is different. We never sprayed and just let them grow and mowed them down and then pulled them out of flower beds. You can also verify that these are used extensively by looking at the number of products sold for this purpose at national hardware retailers. But this is just one issue among many. Lawns are de facto desert areas.
- nightski 4y agoThere are so many products because people are ignorant and just want an easy fix. It's pure laziness and has nothing to do with having a healthy lawn. There's a lot of money in laziness :) A healthy lawn really doesn't require that much from a chemical standpoint, but it take effort to figure out what it needs and you have to do things at the right time. In fact, the healthier the lawn the less weed killers you need because a thick lawn is a poor environment for weeds. Lots of people blanket apply fertilizers too. But in reality a quick test of the soil can tell you exactly what is out of balance and if you need that fertilizer application at all.
- ericmay 4y agoI definitely agree with you there, but even a healthy lawn is still a lawn, which is still a bit of a problem. Outside of insects in the ground not much can live there. You need a variety of bushes, trees, herbs, flowers, and other types of plants to create a healthy ecosystem there. A lawn simply can't provide that.
- denimnerd42 4y agothat’s the historical point of a lawn. no one wants pests near their home.
- ericmay 4y agoYea but now we can see the ecological impact of tens (hundreds?) of millions of people doing that and it doesn’t work.
- bombcar 4y agoManage and fight are vastly different - we're getting better at this (example: freeways used to have water runoff go to the storm sewers and now they go into dry holding ponds instead).