3 ms·

> I've become a bit advocate of replacing lawns with meadows. This is a great idea. > The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up afte

by pavon 4y ago

> I've become a bit advocate of replacing lawns with meadows. This is a great idea. > The simplest route is to just stop mowing and let whatever comes up after a few years stay there. This is a horrible idea. In most suburban environments there aren't a lot of native plants left around to be spreading seed, and most of the plants that have survived heavy artificial landscaping and will propagate on their own are weeds (often invasive) that are nothing like a nice native meadow. They will look ugly, have thorns, spread like wild fire into people's gardens if not kept under control, and make everyone hate you. A native landscape will be less maintenance and use less water in the long run (if meadows aren't native in your area substitute whatever is), but it will take effort to get it into that state.

ghaff 4y ago
I'd add that, where I live but probably in a number of areas of the US, even a plowed and wildflower-seeded tract of land will basically turn into mixed forest over time--which has actually happened with a lot of former farmland in New England. Which is fine to some degree. I moved into an old farmhouse 25 years ago and let a section out towards the road basically regrow into forest which has fairly tall trees at this point--which better screens the house from the road. But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons. (I keep a fairly small lawn and the rest--other than the forest break between me and the road--gets cut by a tractor once a year.)
- throw0101b 4y ago
  > But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons. There are best practices for wildfire zones. Up to 5'/2m you don't want anything flammable, and up to 30'/10m you want to minimize vegetation (though some with appropriate spacing is okay): * https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/...
kjs3 4y ago
but it will take effort to get it into that state. Yeah, this exactly. There's a local horticulturist who specializes in replacing lawns with meadow-ish, native species setups. I had him come in and look at what I'd need to do to get there (no more mowing? Drought resistant? Fewer/no chemicals? I would like to subscribe to your newsletter...). It's a lot of time/work: from getting rid of the grass, conditioning the soil, finding the right balance of species to thrive in your conditions, to keeping the invasive species out. Pretty much if you aren't regularly maintaining it, the same crud trying to take over your lawn will take over and smother your prairie. So...maybe it's 'less maintenance', but there's still good bit of maintenance.

by pavon 4y ago

ghaff 4y ago

I'd add that, where I live but probably in a number of areas of the US, even a plowed and wildflower-seeded tract of land will basically turn into mixed forest over time--which has actually happened with a lot of former farmland in New England. Which is fine to some degree. I moved into an old farmhouse 25 years ago and let a section out towards the road basically regrow into forest which has fairly tall trees at this point--which better screens the house from the road. But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons. (I keep a fairly small lawn and the rest--other than the forest break between me and the road--gets cut by a tractor once a year.)

throw0101b 4y ago
> But you probably don't want that all the way up to the house for fire and other reasons. There are best practices for wildfire zones. Up to 5'/2m you don't want anything flammable, and up to 30'/10m you want to minimize vegetation (though some with appropriate spacing is okay): * https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/...

kjs3 4y ago

but it will take effort to get it into that state. Yeah, this exactly. There's a local horticulturist who specializes in replacing lawns with meadow-ish, native species setups. I had him come in and look at what I'd need to do to get there (no more mowing? Drought resistant? Fewer/no chemicals? I would like to subscribe to your newsletter...). It's a lot of time/work: from getting rid of the grass, conditioning the soil, finding the right balance of species to thrive in your conditions, to keeping the invasive species out. Pretty much if you aren't regularly maintaining it, the same crud trying to take over your lawn will take over and smother your prairie. So...maybe it's 'less maintenance', but there's still good bit of maintenance.