PSA: make sure to use plants NATIVE to your region when replacing your lawns! back in the 2000s lots of people in los angeles got paid to tear out their lawns and replaced them with desert plants and rocks, instead of native plants. so when the rain came, the water went straight into the streets and actually made local flooding worse. and none of the desert plants feed any of the local birds, insects, or pollinators so the wildlife is suffering from lack of food *and* habitat. only recently have people started to plant native plants, especially for the monarch butterflies
cali did something completely retarded and antithetical to the problem they were allegedly solving? shocking. truly shocking. that never happens out there every single day!
If you don't already know about it, you'll probably like "Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't." "Kill Your Lawn", with the emphasis being native, naturalized landscaping, is a prime focus! 🤩
For those who have existing lawns and want to replace them, micro clover is fantastic. Low maintenance, bees dig it, and it more or less looks like grass from a distance. More texture too
Clover does require a bit of work to keep it going and does have some sensitivities. A lot of people think it is a plant and forget type of ground cover but it actually does need some help to really fill out. I'd highly recommend most people have a combination of both clover and grass if you really want that lush meadow type of look.
I used a small railroad weed, instead of clovers My front garden is a footdeep carpet of fuzzy green mono culture. The Victorian lawn bowling game was the main reason for a perfect lawn, Using the shortest known grasses of the era.
Fun fact about HOA's, they can also create rules around what type of homeloans you can use to purchase property. There is a story about a woman losing her house because the HOA determined that you were no longer allowed to have a federal loan for your home (fha loan)
@@ViburaBlanca The way that some states laws are written, if you want a single family home that isn't on at least a full acre of land, you may not have a choice. In Georgia, every subdivision MUST have a HOA - that is to collect insurance dues for the shared property, such as retaining ponds. The only homes that have an exception are those build before the '90s or which are in designated rural lots off a main street with no subdivision. So the only way to avoid a HOA is to either live in an apartment and rent, or to live outside of the city lines. :|
A word (or several) from the UK... The pastoral landscaping style of Capability Brown became enduringly popular here for grand country estates because - thanks to living on a routinely rainy island, with not-very-hot summers and not-very-cold winters - grass is really easy to grow here and requires very little maintenance. On more modest scales, there are a few wingnuts who go in for dousing fertilizer, minutely weeding, raking out moss and watering over the hotter months, but 99.9% of private lawns here are a mix of clover, daisies, dandelions, moss, and some grass, which are never watered nor fertilized, and only mown when absolutely necessary (many are now opting to leave large swathes unmown for wildflowers). The true damage we did was exporting "lawn culture" via empire to climates that really do have to waste vast amounts of water maintaining a lawn, made of grass that is alien to the region (such as India, South East Asia, Australia...). I've never been a big fan of lawns, much preferring an abundance of plants and space given over to a pond, with just a small area for a few chairs and a table.
I have heard that clover was a must have for lawns in the beginning, they even sold the grass seeds mixed with clover seeds. Clover fertilizes the grass as it binds nitrogen. Of course the emergence of herbicides meant that you got rid of the clover, too. Then you had to buy fertilizers. My ideal lawn? It is best with clover, yarrow and daisies mixed in, with some unidentified weeds.
I can't express how much I hate lawns. Our home is in the middle of nature preserves and state parks. Deer, bears, and other animals are always wandering around. But the HOA insists that we have to have perfectly manicured lawns and can't understand where the weeds are infecting the forced monoculture. Long story short, we are in the process of installing a draught tolerant grass/fully xeriscaped landscaping which the HOA isn't happy about but protected by state laws 😀
I live in a forrest and want a lawn and picket fences. Because that is something only see on TV shows. So guilty. I love nature so much. But my hydranges need a lawn.
Can someone explain how to win a fight against HOA to get HOA removed from your neighborhood? I want to evict HOAs or make them extinct in my area, whatever comes first.
@@DylanBegazo It's hard, sadly, because it's such a big business, and in the USA, we have the best government that money can buy. Lawn "care" companies routinely spray 2, 4-D, one of the two active ingredients in Agent Orange because they contribute either directly or indirectly to Democrats and Republicans alike. There are only two ways to buck HOAs, as I see it: 1) Refuse to live in a place with a place with an HOA, or 2) convince the majority of the members to toss out the current HOA and replace it with something better--which, given how most people act, is very, very hard.
Getting rid of my lawns was the best choice ive done. I replaced them with tons of fruit trees which produce actual food in the same space my lawn took previously. Plant more trees instead🤙
As an engineer for a major lawn mower manufacturer, I think about this every day and how we create thousands of mowers a year that are unnecessary and it's an endless cycle of waste😢
And then they're buried or dumped into mountain-high mounds with all the metal-based discards -- washers, dryers, exercise equipment, bbqs, cars, trucks, RVs, stoves etc etc ... and this excess has destroyed our planet since industrialization. Then there are the plastics, synthetic textiles, fiberglass, building products most of which are toxic ......
I am a ex landscaper. I did residential and commercial landscaping for one of my local companies. I am also a conservationist. It did not take me long to see how disgusting and unsustainable this practice is on the Grand scale. I've since quit that job, I mow less than 50% of my yard that I used to and I'm planting native landscaping plants like big blue stem and wild flowers. My favorite thing is a batch of red yarrow that I'm going to be adding as accents to a few areas around my place.
Sounds like you need to either make a difference in your company and get a new job and advocate against it. I can’t imagine working or being a part of something I don’t believe in.
11:13 is where he talked about (and definitely didn't advocate for) fake lawns. You did how ever just self report yourself as one of the "suckers" who would insist on having grass. Great comprehension skills.
As a native Arizonan and victim of the ever-expanding heat island in Phoenix caused by the profusion of xeriscaping and concrete roads, buildings, etc, I am a proponent of a return to (appropriate) green space in the burbs. Xeriscaping, which uses a lot of rocks and plants that do not shade, throws heat right back up at your house, causing more heat inside, an increased need for air conditioning, and increased electrical expenses. A nice thick lawn and some shade trees help by making a cool island right next to your house. I am also in favor of using native species, nature gardens, and vegetable gardens to provide the same effect.
Xeriscaping _should_ be coupled with a canopy of water wise trees and shrubs and cacti The goal is to shade the stones so they aren't sucking up solar energy, without having to constantly water grass that would otherwise become a fire hazard. There are a lot of tree species available, native and otherwise, that thrive in such conditions without supplemental water. You can stretch it even further with modest watering, perhaps 10-20% of what a lawn would require
@@LeviHildebrandYT I paid for _that_ space. There're billions of acres of land go buy it, pave it over with cities and apartments. I fought my way out of the city. I love my lawn. Sit of your sidewalk and enjoy your cement.
Glad I scoped out a house that didn't have HOA. We have a nice desert-scape (native plants) in our front and a yawn in our back but we don't cut it and water it once a week for 15m. Our kid feels like an adventurer because it's gotten to the point of the grass looking mangey. I've noticed more birds flocking eating bugs and it feels more natural over the overly green and tidy look society pushes on us. On the plus side I hate hearing the sound of yawn mowers and like being lazy. My parent's don't really approve they tend to complain when they're over about the state our back scape but maybe I'll send them a link to this video.. we live in a desert we should conserve water and I'll overtime get rid of our yawn for good just that I still want it around for my kid just in case she wants to get some energy out.
I imagine there is trash all over your lawn and your house looks like garbage falling apart on every side and the air is tainted with cigarette smoke and weed and your house LOST value after you moved in...
Lawn care is actually one of my most cherished hobbies, i do all the weeding by hand and mow every 5 days. I let the clover grow in to improve soil quality and drought tolerance. I use very few chemicals because i want it to be safe for my pets (including a box turtle). But it is my hobby and I recognize that most people aren't really that into it. People should be able to use their land however they want, that's just a fundamental part of property rights. We have truly lost our way when state violence is used to enforce grass laws.
im a new home owner and this is my first lawn and backyard. Really come to liking it as a past time hobby maintaining it. I see there are quite a few clovers in my lawn. should i let it grow?
@@SMONclips I personally don't like clover and it's easy to spray-away with a hose-end sprayer. Most herbicides are natural plant based hormones or salts so safe. Just don't drink it or be exposed everyday. Over seed clover areas in the fall and include lime.
@@SMONclips @sman8289. Probably, they are companion plants and create a lush low maintenance turf together. I overseeded with white clover to speed up the process. Clover was historically intentionally mixed into grass seed mixes until broadleaf herbicides and fertilizers made it possible to have true monoculture lawns. That means the downside is that you will be doing most of your weeding by hand, which isn't really a downside for us lol.
I work for a water treatment plant mowing water towers in my city. We have massive plots of land for no reason that we have to mow. Its funny too how you can see how much water we have to produce when people water their lawn, and then see water production fall of a cliff because people aren't watering their grass.
Fortunately, Colorado has passed a state law that says HOAs cannot overrule homeowners planting native and water-wise plants. It is not as well known or publicized but it should be so that those who don't want kentucky blue grass can replace it with native grasses like buffalo or grama (because I think they can still require a % of "lawn"/grass but you can make it a water wise and lower maintenance "lawn")
I feel personally attacked - lmfao it’s a joy to mow the lawn, smoke a cigar, and have a nice bourbon looking at it. Dogs chilling in the grass and having fun - I enjoy the nice lines and patterns - smack a few golf balls on it .just got done aerating it, I also have a few acres of undisturbed woodlands to look at and one neighbor that helps mow part of my property that we share as a community so his kids can ride 4 wheelers on it. Set up a playground this summer a planning for a few fruit trees next year.
When I was a kid, I used to grow plants and did most of the gardening that produced food. I decided to stop weeding and then I had buttercups, queen anne's lace, bluebells, all kinds of decorative grass and then the amount of insects in the garden went up. AND I got pretty flowers. The adage goes, if you don't weed, then your plants will be choked out--I found out this wasn't true at all. What's true is super manicuring your garden/lawn keeps it so you know which plants are "useful" but that's snobby Human talk for "I have no idea what my plants look like." I still got a full crop of tomatoes that ripened in the sun. I still got healthy rhubarb and chives and all of the other food plants I usually got, but I also got butterflies and other wildlife increase. I only pulled out destructive things like crabgrass, but I left a lot of the other plants. My parents saw this and called it "ugly" and "Embarrassing". They told me when I left the house they pulled out the entire thing because they couldn't tellthe difference between Queen Anne's Lace and tomatoes? C'mon. But what's not pretty about wildgrass and flowers blowing in the wind as butterflies come around to your garden and no one else's? 'cause the natural insects of the area have evolved to pollinate what? The native wildflowers. Doesn't take a genius. So they are more likely to visit your garden. Also, gotta say, it took less watering too. (May only be true of the area the garden was in). 'cause the root system is holding more water for the surrounding plants. The thing is, if you spend time with your plants, your plants will benefit from less weeding as you encourage wild flowers, then more insects will come to benefit your food plants. The question is, can you tell the difference between your plants? I could, because I would spend time with them. I also gave my relatives some wild flower packets (local) and they've been struggling with bad nemotodes... but the wild flowers did just fine and there were a ton of them, which then attracted natural insects, etc to their space, which then helped the fruit trees, etc they own. The grass in your lawn comes from Africa. The great lawn expanses comes from Capability Brown. I don't think it's that hard to do the math--local wildflowers will help your gardening endeavors.
In 03, i had an anthropology professor who had done his thesis on the american front lawn. Im glad the problem is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Also, you can opt for species that are native to the US (Blue Grama, Buffalo Grass etc). They are very hardy and usually survive on solely rain water. This is usually a better option than clover and is going to give a better lawn look
I'm 100 percent addicted to my yard. I spend a ton of time thinking about it, caring for it, and buying equipment for it. I do vegetable garden in the back but in a raised bed as part of the yard.
I'm pretty sure the biggest reason that the first house I bought had been on the market for two months was because it didn't have a traditional lawn. It had a lot of shrubbery and was fairly wild, though well-maintained. I assumed that too many prospective buyers passed on it because they felt they needed a lawn, but to who's benefit? When we eventually sold the house we wanted to be sure it passed on to someone who is going to value all the trees and bushes and not tear it all out to simply put in grass.
I love how all of the younger homeowners on my street have said f this were not playing this lawn game anymore. Thank god! One guy made his front lawn all native flowers, the rest of us are just letting our lawns grow to around 6 inches before cutting. My husband and I are considering ripping the whole stupid thing up and seeding creeping thyme. it is great ground cover that uses less water - good because we don't water our lawn we just let it die and cheer when it does...it always comes back when it rains. You can't kill it in NY. Thyme also doesn't grow very high and best of if all, it grows purplish flowers in the spring! I told a few of my neighbors about it and others are also considering the change. And then there's our resident ex-county sheriff who mows his lawn into what I can only best describe as a flattop worthy of Arnold Schwarzenegger's hair in Commando. He pays for a company to spray cancer shit all over the place then painstakingly plucks errant grass blades. Every Saturday he's out there for 1-2 hours mowing, weed eating, edging, weeding by hand and finally leaf blowing all his toxic crap into neighboring yards, the street, whatever. I'm thankful that our garden is a number of houses away but I'm not dumb enough to think that we're actually protected from his chemical warfare. I won't let our dog walk on his lawn when we got for nightly strolls. He and one other guy seem to be having a competition. Thankfully most of the other residents are either two tired from work, elderly, or young enough to not give a f about their lawns. I hope this trend continues and eventually we'll all just quit being handcuffed to our landscaping. But as long as Steve the cop and his brethren exist, we're stuck with this resource sucking, toxic waste.
My neighbors around the corner have planted native wildflowers and milkweed and let it take over their lawn. It’s actually really pretty and zero maintenance. Their yard is a haven for bunnies and bees.
Not that toxic. It's mostly nitrogen (78% of _AIR_ is nitrogen) and traditional weed killers were mostly salts (metals and minerals) but most modern herbicides are synthetic mimics of natural plant hormones that interfere with the growth of the target plants. Some people (like me) enjoy working in the yard. It's a hobby, relaxing, like taking your dog out to pee on other peoples stuff at night.
I’m pretty sure your neighbor appreciates you keeping your animal off of his lawn. I wish more people would do that because obviously you see he puts real pride into his property. You don’t you don’t understand it, but I like that you appreciate, or at the very least respect his hard work that he puts into his property by keeping your dog off of the lawn.
I'm not sure about where you are but a lot of places its actually illegal to blow grass clippings into the street. Its insanely dangerous for bikers. Like where I am "Illinois law requires that homeowners clear grass clippings from the street, or face a fine of up to $1,500 for a first offense to $25,000 for a third offense. Statistics show those who choose two wheels over four are 35 times more likely to be in a deadly accident." You dont seem like the type but if you ever get the urge Id let old sheriff know. Otherwise I love this, I hope more places become like your street!
One problem with doing nothing with your green spaces, is that stuff we don't want growing are most likely to take over, be it garlic mustard, tree of heaven, dog strangling vine or japanese knotweed. Many of the more prolific plants that will take over an abandoned lawn are other invasive species. So some level of intervention, involvement or planting should take over the lawn maintenance routine or you just end up with a different set of issues.
Hmm that's super interesting and an angle we hadn't considered! It's definitely best to be intentional about what you're doing with your property to get the most out of it while staying on top of invasive species... thanks for sharing!
I have to agree. Doing nothing is not an option where I am unless I want to perpetuate the invasive and noxious weeds in the area. I don't plant grass, but the invasive have started encroaching on the natural areas around here and cause much more damage than just grass would. There are also grass mixes that require no water or fertilizer for most zones. They go brown in the hot parts of summer and winter, but come right back with the rain. Again, lots of good options besides your typical lawn.
Agreed, especially if try to have a perennial garden…..things like dandelions and thistle crab grass etc will take over your beautiful English garden…having a bit of lawn keeps this down. My neighbors have no lawn just a bunch of brick sidewalks, pathways etc…..oh and yes a lot of invasive weeds and flavin on top of that. Sorry but it’s just nasty looking all the time. I also have to deal with the tree seedlings growing up,through the fence….yippee.. Context, it is a townhome community, with most yards fenced to provide a layer of privacy….
Didn't think about the invasive species issue, but that makes sense! I live in Northern Cali, and the issue with doing absolutely nothing is that you'd end up with vegetation right up against your house, and that's obviously an issue come fire season. Cities around here generally have rules about how close vegetation can be to your home, or how thick it can be. They'll even mark dead trees so homeowners know to cut them down so they're not kindling if a fire were to break out.
The wording in this video is definitely well meant, but very wrong. If you just let your yard grow "naturally" you will have many problems, including invasive as mentioned, but also so. many. insects. Ticks are proficient disease carriers, and thrive in tall vegetation. The concept you're most likely thinking of is "rewilding". That is, regrowing a natural habitat from your lawn. Look up forest succession, (or x ecosystem succession for those not living in a forest habitat) and study the plants that will grow after the pioneer species set in. Those are the plants you want to add to your lawn, slowly phasing out the grass (if you rip up all the grass and expect natural habitat to form you'll be disappointed by an abundance of noxious weeds). Also keep an eye out for native pioneer species, and let those be where they sprout.
This has been the source of extreme frustration since getting a 2 family home with my BiL/SiL. I watched as the clover got decimated, had my suggestions of wild flower planting shot down, and basically watched as my city life family fulfill their Better Home and Gardens dreams.
Lawn care actually makes you think. Those that have really nice lawns on their own without paying experts to maintain the lawn for them have to do a ton of research and trial and error. A lot of hard work goes into lawn care. Lazy people don’t like hard work. It’s a great experience when you finally see all your hard work and time pay off, and can sit outside and take in the lush, green lawn and other plants. And it’s nice to have a real grass lawn because it actually cools the air around it and it’s much more enjoyable playing with your kids or pets on a real grass lawn instead of on artificial turf or cement.
Only works if you have no trees and the proper amount of water etc…….corn has certain horticultural requirements. Duh why corn is grown mostly on former prairie land in the Midwest……
You know corn is a type of grass? It also requires more water than grass. It also sucks all the nutrients out of the soil. It also doesn't reseed itself or come back every year so after one crop you have a big dead swath of land that you have to do something with.
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video is how important lawns are to prevent runoffs of soil from going into our lakes and streams whenever it rains.
I like having a lawn. I find it beautiful to look at when I’m surrounded by pavement everywhere else. It’s a safe place that my kids love running around and playing in. I almost never have to water it and only need to mow it once every 1-2 weeks, which takes 15 minutes. I don’t buy or use any of that other stuff mentioned. The alternatives mentioned don’t really make sense for someone who lives where I do and has young children. Though moss is fine. I don’t care as long as it’s green and mowed.
You should consider clover! Its even less maintenance, better for wildlife, and im sure the kiddos would love to try finding four leaf ones lol You only have to mow it once in a while, but it pretty much stays fairly short. That way you can have the benefits you like with the lawn but also will be helping the local environment.
I watch this as I cool down from mowing my lawn for the last time. Transitioning the rest of the non-garden space to mulch and native wild flowers. Super low maintenence stuff and its gorgeous.
I live in a rural area and all I do is mow the lawn maybe once a month at most (2 acres with a push mower). It's nice to have a regular excuse to get outside and do some exercise. Sure my lawn has patchy spots and some moss but I don't care!
While I love your videos, I also love my lawn. I get enjoyment from mowing the grass. It’s a nice little workout, it’s like a project that keeps on giving.
I grew up with dichondra. Being in the desert I was not sure it would do well, had grass. A bird left me a present and some dichondra started to grow in the sunny part of my yard and then traveled to shade etc. I am slowly transitioning my front yard and I also have wild clover growing, another bird gift. The two mixed looks really nice and they do not need mowing. So many have transited to desert scape, I do not like that and it also raises the temp., around the property. Planting native foliage which will bring pollinators, have a ton of lizards. I do NOT use any fertilizer, weed kill, anything that is not nature, have a non-toxic safe yard and my wild critters love it.
You speak the truth. I will play this to my wife who I'm trying to convince to get rid of the lawn a nd have some pebbles instead. It's effortless, no water/sprinkler/mower saga all the time, looks a lot cleaner and is a lot cleaner. Thank you, you saviour!!!😂
Maybe try clover instead? Id be on her side with the rocks thing tbh lol (absorbs/radiates heat, can be a safety hazard, have to line the ground with plastic first to try to keep weeds at bay, isnt great for local wildlife, and imo 95% of them just look bad) but clover takes pretty much no work and looks great! Dont have to mow much if at all and its hardy, shouldn't need to water or fertilize or anything like that. Plus has flowers for local pollinators ❤❤ Good luck!
You'd be surprised how IMpractical pebbles en masse are: windblown debris always struck; weeds with long burrow-like roots love it, hard to pull out too; pebbles gather & radiate heat - worst thing for summer & very dry air around, which is bad for your lungs and skin; uncomfortable to walk on too; and just plain boring~
Counterpoint: When I was a kid and lived with my parents in the suburbs, we had a reasonably-sized lawn that we mowed every week but otherwise left unkempt, and it I spent hundreds of hours playing whiffleball, baseball, capture-the-flag, gymnastics, pogo-sticking, and more in it. If the grass hadn't been mowed, there would have been more bugs and tripping hazards and it would have been annoying to walk on or try to roll balls on. If there hadn't been grass, it would have been too muddy and treacherous. When I grew up and moved to the country, I let a large section of my yard go untouched in hopes of getting a nice meadow, but all I got was a bunch of gross-looking, poisonous weeds. Also, there something about gardens that just attracts weeds like a magnet. I have a 10'x20' garden and it's absolutely lousy with weeds. Imagine a whole yard like that. Yes, I should weed it, but the point it that you can get out of mowing by uprooting your grass and replacing it with tomatoes. Mowing a lawn is much easier. And lawns don't attract pests like gardens do
Just gonna paste what I said elsewhere, but this channel is mostly about making people feel bad about the things they like. (Or making people feel good by separating themselves from others who do like those "scams") The videos are well produced though and thought provoking so I enjoy it. As someone who wishes the lawn obsession wasn't so prevalent. I think any kid who played on lawns will remember those good times in their neighborhood forever. So big deal if people like providing a space for their families to have fun touching grass.
Ticks and other parasites thrive in tall grass, so it’s a good idea to mow/trim the high traffic areas. Depending on where you live and the health of the local ecosystem, you’ll get a different sort of wilderness than the picture-perfect bucolic prairie. What you consider to be weeds is often an important building block of your environment, only your direct experience of them isn’t necessarily pleasant. Any garden requires a bit of maintenance to not become a tiny forest or extended thorns fest, but I believe that finding a balance between enjoyability and maintenance is where the cookie dough’s at. :) We’re talking about tidying up one’s garden without turning it into a mere sterile patch of stunted grass. (Edit: I saw a documentary about some people who bought a massive area of land and let it go untouched for years. The first things to grow were unfriendly weeds, but they stabilized the ground and provided cover for other seeds to thrive: soon enough the hills were covered with young trees ^^)
As an avid gardener and lawn owner I get annoyed by the take just plant food or flowers etc. Taking care of any plants, food, flower or grass requires nearly the same amount of time and supplies. All of them need food and water. All of them need to be cut, pruned, trimmed, harvest, composted. A food garden usually requires a lot more investment in the form of good soil, plant seed, various fertilizer, pesticide (organic or not), and hand weeding. If you think lawn care is too much, believe me when I say your garden will be a real pain in your ass. Xeriscaping is great but most people don't like the look of native plants if you live in a dry climate. Turf is worse than literally any option, please don't cover your lawn in plastic, no one should have to tell you why not. Plant low maintenance ground cover, that can be things mentioned like clover or moss, also some creeping succulents make excellent grass replacement and don't need anything but occasional water and they flower. Or if you live anywhere that remotely gets decent rainfall just plant grass appropriate for your climate and it pretty much takes care of itself except mowing which can be done with a $25 push mower (yes, they still make them). No one needs all that equipment listed. A mower and weed wacker is all you need to keep it tidy. Don't want any of it, just cover your yard in pavers.
I have tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of berries, peas, lettuce and raddish and I have zero equipment beside a composter (that I totally could do without). Now, sure, it does take me time, and probably as much as people with their green version of asphalt, but I get food in the process and it actually looks nice (unlike lawns).
@@transfixit really? You don’t have shovels or weeders, trellis or t-post or stakes or tomato cage, string something to tie a plant to a support, pruners, pots and/or planters of some kind, wheelbarrow or wagon or bucket or trash bin to move your compost from the garden to the bin? You don’t fertilize those crops? Or have any kind of pest control even neem, dawn, alcohol or DE or BT? No mulch or even cardboard to suppress weeds? sprinklers? You must live in the garden of Eden. I have some version of all of those things. I also have a lawn. The only unitaskers for that lawn are a lawn mower and weedwacker, $200 for both about 10 years ago.
Thank you for inserting some sanity in this matter. Also, those who argue tons of water and chemicals are applied to lawns...they need not be. Organic fertilizers, proper soil amenities (as you would do with ANY plant), and deep rooting cultivars can negate all of their argument against lawns. AND, grass supplies more oxygen per acre, than do trees. A fun fact naysayers may want to Google before screeching about my being incorrect.
I live in a high rise condo. Part of the reason for choosing it was I grew up cutting grass for my parents lawn service and never desire to do it again. If I were to move to a house I’d probably go with one of those rock and native plant landscapes with maybe a small astroturf area.
Love the channel stumbled upon it recently, keep up the good work. While I like the look of lawns, I remember working on our lawn as a kid growing up at our house and hated it. It always seemed pointless. Loved becoming an APARTMENT LIBERAL 😅. Rock on giving us some fun content, totally appreciate you and your team! Have a great day!
I love having gardens all over my back yard. The rest of the yard grass area is ridiculous. I'm incredibly grateful I have a lawn area to garden in though.
I don't understand how HOA regulations like that are legal. Like, I understand and support "garbage is to be sorted and put out in a certain way", or "trees are not to touch power lines", or "music or anything from a speaker which is heard on other plots (unless mutually agreed) is forbidden" and other laws of safety and convenience, or even "a building should not be taller than" - in order not to shade others. But that... what about your precious private property and freedom? This is insanity.
I have a home in the woods, and luckily my lawn is mostly clover and moss. I understand why people like lawns, it is easier to get where you want to without battling high weeds. But if everyone had lawns like mine, there would be a lot less problems associated with it. All I have to do is mow it like once a month to keep weeds at bay and at a desirable height. I frankly don’t care if my lawn dies during a drought because it will shortly come back and I’m not going to stress the water supply.
Ok I think there’s a healthy balance. I’ve been a landscaper before and letting your yard go crazy can be expensive/difficult due to the habit it creates for pests such as wasps, rats, ants, etc… and dangerous animals like spiders, snakes and ticks. I live in Texas we have prairie grass it’s rough and doesn’t really grow during the summers. We don’t water it directly the septic system keeps it alive because it’s tied to our sprinklers. If we don’t mow it down the weeds are very aggressive and you get burrs everywhere. There has to be a intentional cultivation and maintenance or else nature will start claiming back your property.
I can’t wait for them to realize that the plants they let grow next to their siding causes you to move without selling. lol water and pest damages are crazy. That’s just lazy.
We use our front lawn for Gardening and Farming. We grew our own sunflower, pumpkins, Corn, Squash, tomato's, cucumbers, broccoli and cabbage. The neighbors love the free food.
We begrudgingly have a front lawn, but thankfully no hoa and routinely do not mow our lawn for the first time until the end of May. Too many insects relay on the early blooms of Spring and I refuse to limit their food resources. I recently watched a time lapse of an aerated lawn where they planted thousands of crocus; that’s my next goal. Our back yard is dedicated to no mow ground cover, wild flowers, fruit trees/ vines, & a large vegetable garden.
Condo (or "apartment") HOAs are awful too for different reasons. They hike fees while not taking care of structures and common areas like they are supposed to. I agree that life without matching lawns would probably be much better. My only fear is bugs. I have heard of people doing clover lawns and I also like the idea of moss.
YES!! Last May we revegetated our front verge here in Western Australia with locally native species… the lawn we had previously always looked sad, dry, and full of weeds! 18 months later & its growing really well! Aside from the first summer, we’ve hardly watered at all, and the plants are growing beautifully! We’ve also seen an influx of bees, birds & lizards. Our back garden has been planted with natives for ~3yrs, and we’ve noticed gradual increases in wildlife activity in this period, too. We still keep 13sqm as turf for our little dogs, but that’s plenty for them & they spend most of their outdoor time sun baking or in the garden beds anyway! I’m all for revegetation of our yards with locally endemic species!
I like having a lawn, it makes for a beautiful view of my house with trees, plants, fence and other things that I plan on doing in the future. It feels really good coming home after a long day of hard work, and walking up to a decently maintained lawn.. Living in Canada where its dark, white and cold almost half of the year makes me appreciate my lawn even more. I think those "recommended" lawn maintenance intervals are ridiculous. I mow my lawn only once a month or so. I water it by hand a couple times or so a week. Seeding and fertilizing once or twice a year. Its really not that bad, and I find the time that I spend caring for my lawn is very therapeutic. Now, my lawn isn't the greenest and bestest in my neighbourhood but its good enough for me. I know there are a lot of people out there who are very extreme and crazy about lawn maintenance that waters everyday and spends a tonne of time and money caring for their lawn.. But its their time and money, so I won't judge.
Here in central Honshu we have about an acre. 1/3 is "lawn", cut regularly (sometimes) and there's plenty of dandelions and clover and stuff. The kids and dog like this, and so do I. 1/3 is a large garden for food, and the remaining third is wooded and "wild-ed" ie. flowers and shrubberies etc. to please the birds and the bees. It works out. No watering, fertilizing (except poo for the garden) and no weed killers anywhere.
The thing is - you and your neighbors ARE the HOA. If your HOA requires a certain type of yard - that's you and your neighbors requiring it. Get involved and change the policies. This is all purely anecdotal, and perhaps I'm biased by generally wanting to live in areas with sane people, but every single HOA I've been a member us was absolutely starved for people to help run it and were completely open to changing problematic policies.
Most HOAs that I know of are owned and run by larger management companies that are four states away and don't care who runs the group as long as they get their fines. Sometimes an even bigger and further away company will buy that one! It really is all a scam.
We just got our first house and we have been fighting with our lawn since then…trying to grow it because it was patchy and now it’s growing too fast because we can’t find anyone reliable to cut it. So we just got a trimmer and will work on a mower…but how I’m feeling grass is a pain in the a$$ lol
11:43 I take advantage of a mow MORE May. Because it is a proven fact that the more you mow the less herbicides that you need to spray on your lawn to kill weeds. Weeds can't handle regular mowings It stresses them out too much and then they die on their own. I have spots sprayed my lawn once this season and as long as you follow the 2/3 rule and only cut 1/3 of the grass height off at a time your grass is going to grow thicker and stronger and smother weeds.
I think lawns make more sense as long as you dont have to water it constantly. I live in the CA central valley. We took out our front lawn and left only a patio sized lawn on a quarter acre. Also use a lower water blend. Most houses in our neighborhood have huge front and back yards, basically all grass. I like deep, layered shrubs and trees
I like a green lawn. Doesn’t neee to be free of weeds or neee to be 100% grass. I just don’t want dirt and muddy yard. I water my lawn in the spring and summer and the wildlife loves it. The chip munks, squirrels, rabbits. Humming birds grass hopper etc love it. The birds like to cool off in the sprinkler too.
I love my lawn. The kids play soccer on it, the dog runs on it, we have picnics on it, slip and slide, and inflatable bouncies during parties. I like the color green, it smells great after watering or after rain or after cutting it. We also have our annual Thanksgiving Day football game on it. The dog also poops on it, hopefully not just before our Thanksgiving Day game. 😂 So instead of preaching a 'one size fits all' mentality of getting rid of your lawn, why not just encourage people to convert PART of their lawn to native plants, drought tolerant plants, or something else?
That goes against this channel's content strategies. Gotta make people feel bad about the things they like. I'm saying this as someone wishes the lawn obsession wasn't so prevalent. But any kid who played on lawns will remember those good times in their neighborhood forever. So big deal if people like providing a space for their families to have fun touching grass.
Yeah, the opportunity cost is immense. Imagine what else could be done instead of having millions of people spending 50 days a year on work that has zero utility and takes up an incredible amount of real estate or land.
Nope that should go to all the tax payer built stadiums built that almost always eventually become demolished. Or the team fails and leaves like the Montreal Expos or the Oakland Athletics.
Actually it's super easy, barely and inconvenience. Mostly I just mow it as needed. Listen to audiobooks and sometime have a beer as is do it. It's relaxing.
I only cut and trim my grass. And by cut... I mean, knock down. 😅😅 I don't water, fertilize, or spray for bugs. Our grass gets whatever nature gives to it at any given time. 😁😁
I love maintaining my lawn because it shows order and speaks high volumes. Not only that, a house is a symbol of who you are and how you live. Dead grass is for junkyards.
Hate to be the "HOAs can be good sometimes actually" guy BUT I live in a condo complex and the HOA is necessary for it to function because there is sooo much shared property. HOA doesn't have any stupid rules and does a lot for the homeowners.
Gotta agree with you there. Having moved from a neighborhood with no HOA & a neighbor that had what looked like an ongoing yard sale and outside storage for seasons on end, to a neighborhood with super low HOA fees and “we’re not going to nit-pick” attitude, I will take the good HOA. Obviously anecdotal, but “never speak in absolutes.”
Same here. We have single family homes, but they focus on activities for the neighborhood and keeping up common areas. We have neighborhood events about every other month. Hubby is on the HOA board just to make sure everything is in check. They had one person on the HOA board that tried to change things last year, but he moved out of the neighborhood. They have raised HOA fees once in the past 40 years ($50 to $70).
In calgary you can switch to a non grass lawn. I use an aerate pitchfork. It takes time. Have simple plug in electrical mower, whacker. Only occasionally use granualar frertilizer if on sale. Only have little hose sprinkler, use rain barrel mostly, and have garden for veggies. In calgary.
I think this video needs a part 2 - Astro Turf Wars! Also, it would be interesting to do a piece on the lawn ban set to go into effect in Las Vegas in 2027.
Its honestly a good idea but by then....it might be too late/las Vegas might not be there anymore. The whole area is on borrowed time with the amount of water they waste.
In the village where I just moved you are required to mow the lawn at least once before the 1st of june, 1st of july, 1st of august and 1st of september. It’s important enough that it’s been mentionned in every village newspaper that has come out in the summer.
The challenge with a moss lawn is that it is incredibly fragile. My apartment's backyard is naturally mostly moss and it is so easy to just walk a little wrong and rip out a huge chunk from the ground, leaving a dirt hole behind for the next year.
Replacing the lawns won't make the house grid any less repetitive. And I feel like if people are spending that much on lawncare, it must range from, they live in a climate that shouldn't have grass growing, to they care a little too much. Everywhere I've lived, we've only mowed. The rain gave enough water, usually, and mowing was good exercise no matter who did it. Admittedly, there was one place where the yard was big enough to warrant a tractor with a mowing attachment. But even there, I did a big area around the house with an electric mower. But where we live now is smaller. The sprinklers go for a minute or 2 at night when it doesn't rain. We have a robot mower, and it cuts it nicely, and I trim the edges. No gas, either. It's a good thing for me to do on the weekend. But I recognize that not everyone can, or wants to do that. I just wonder how much hotter neighborhoods would be if yards were replaced with rocks. And you can't get away from weeds, as long as there's something for them to grow in. Just, let's not throw the whole thing away
To each his own I like doing my lawn and mowing keeping it nice I know it sounds crazy but its relaxing to me ....plants and my lawn as well as my fishtank n just watching my fish all help with my anxiety people think iam nuts because I tell them I enjoy mowing it's my zen Time lol.....as for what people think or having the best lawn around I could care less
You can still do that without grass lawns though. There are plenty of ways, my personal favorite being clover. Takes almost no maintenance and stays fairly short. Has the added benefit of not being grass, which a lot of people are allergic too (like myself, just thought forever everyone got itchy bumps from sitting in grass lmao). also if the argument is liking spending time outside, gardens are great for that.
The only thing I do to my lawn other than play outside with my son is cut it. I don't do all the extra crap. But I've also built a few raised pollinator gardens.
You missed out on an important chance to discuss the environmental impact of lawns vs alternatives. Loose stones and asphalt absorb and radiate more heat contributing to heat island effects, have more water run off contributing to droughts and increase likelihood of floods. With the increase of extreme weather events, creating a culture where we understand the importance of native species and their resiliency is essential. If enough people get on board, we can force governments to enforce climate friendly policies and scrap the lawn enforcing ones.
Agree. Plus, am I wrong or do planes give off oxygen? Now I don’t go nuts with chemicals and worry about the look of my lawn. Mower used every two weeks. Interesting video though
@@Mr6384 yes grass, and every plant uses carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. And I just found the video weird because he's trying to gaslight us believing everyone hate lawns. You can make a video about the problems lawns might cause. Everything has it's own set of consequences. But the fact that he's trying to push this idea that people only have lawns because of tradition, or that they're forced is complete nonsense. There's a ton of things people did religiously centuries ago, that haven't done for hundreds of years since, simply because we don't want to. There are things from 20 years ago every household did that most households no longer do. So based on that alone, it's clear that lawns are still around because like them, and want them. Otherwise they would've just been a passing fad like so many things before.
It’s not just HOAs. We don’t have one but the city here can and does regulate lawns. If you don’t mow, then you will get a notice and then they will charge you to mow it for you.
lmao thats great. But also perhaps consider integrating clover. It takes hardly any maintenance and stays fairly short. Kids love them too cause they can look for four leaf clovers lol better than grass all around.
The WHO recommends a minimum amount of 9 m2 of green open space per person (WHO, 2009). Many people don´t live close to parks, so where are they gonna get contact with green spaces?
Love this video! We have a micro-clover front yard, and do nothing to the back yard. We are definitely the odd ones out in our neighborhood. Thankfully, we don't have an HOA.
🏴 the Brits may have exported the lawn craze, and I'm not saying that we don't have lawns ourselves, but you folks in the US have taken it to extremes. We have the perfect climate for lawns. Fertilizer is seldom used, as is extra watering. And this nonsense about keeping grass to a regulatory 4" is all your own doing. I like to throw wild flower seeds in my garden and let it grow all year, barring one cut in October, to keep it manageable. But I do also have a stone patio area I can sit in and enjoy.
PSA: make sure to use plants NATIVE to your region when replacing your lawns!
back in the 2000s lots of people in los angeles got paid to tear out their lawns and replaced them with desert plants and rocks, instead of native plants. so when the rain came, the water went straight into the streets and actually made local flooding worse. and none of the desert plants feed any of the local birds, insects, or pollinators so the wildlife is suffering from lack of food *and* habitat. only recently have people started to plant native plants, especially for the monarch butterflies
cali did something completely retarded and antithetical to the problem they were allegedly solving? shocking. truly shocking. that never happens out there every single day!
If you don't already know about it, you'll probably like "Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't."
"Kill Your Lawn", with the emphasis being native, naturalized landscaping, is a prime focus! 🤩
Idk why that sounds like something Cali would do
For those who have existing lawns and want to replace them, micro clover is fantastic. Low maintenance, bees dig it, and it more or less looks like grass from a distance. More texture too
Clover does require a bit of work to keep it going and does have some sensitivities. A lot of people think it is a plant and forget type of ground cover but it actually does need some help to really fill out. I'd highly recommend most people have a combination of both clover and grass if you really want that lush meadow type of look.
I used a small railroad weed, instead of clovers
My front garden is a footdeep carpet of fuzzy green mono culture.
The Victorian lawn bowling game was the main reason for a perfect lawn,
Using the shortest known grasses of the era.
Fun fact about HOA's, they can also create rules around what type of homeloans you can use to purchase property. There is a story about a woman losing her house because the HOA determined that you were no longer allowed to have a federal loan for your home (fha loan)
wHAT? That's wild and tragic. Man they suck 😭
Looks like it's time to take down h.o.a's .
Sounds like it was some sort of targeted thing if No one elts was effected in that naborhood.
Yeah HOA’s are absolute garbage. They’re authoritarian and they have way too much power
Why anyone would move to an HOA is proof our society does not like to be free. Who willingly wants to live under the thumb of some stupid nobody…
@@ViburaBlanca The way that some states laws are written, if you want a single family home that isn't on at least a full acre of land, you may not have a choice. In Georgia, every subdivision MUST have a HOA - that is to collect insurance dues for the shared property, such as retaining ponds. The only homes that have an exception are those build before the '90s or which are in designated rural lots off a main street with no subdivision. So the only way to avoid a HOA is to either live in an apartment and rent, or to live outside of the city lines. :|
A word (or several) from the UK... The pastoral landscaping style of Capability Brown became enduringly popular here for grand country estates because - thanks to living on a routinely rainy island, with not-very-hot summers and not-very-cold winters - grass is really easy to grow here and requires very little maintenance. On more modest scales, there are a few wingnuts who go in for dousing fertilizer, minutely weeding, raking out moss and watering over the hotter months, but 99.9% of private lawns here are a mix of clover, daisies, dandelions, moss, and some grass, which are never watered nor fertilized, and only mown when absolutely necessary (many are now opting to leave large swathes unmown for wildflowers).
The true damage we did was exporting "lawn culture" via empire to climates that really do have to waste vast amounts of water maintaining a lawn, made of grass that is alien to the region (such as India, South East Asia, Australia...).
I've never been a big fan of lawns, much preferring an abundance of plants and space given over to a pond, with just a small area for a few chairs and a table.
Such a perfect, well rounded comment 🍀
I have heard that clover was a must have for lawns in the beginning, they even sold the grass seeds mixed with clover seeds. Clover fertilizes the grass as it binds nitrogen.
Of course the emergence of herbicides meant that you got rid of the clover, too. Then you had to buy fertilizers.
My ideal lawn? It is best with clover, yarrow and daisies mixed in, with some unidentified weeds.
I can't express how much I hate lawns. Our home is in the middle of nature preserves and state parks. Deer, bears, and other animals are always wandering around. But the HOA insists that we have to have perfectly manicured lawns and can't understand where the weeds are infecting the forced monoculture. Long story short, we are in the process of installing a draught tolerant grass/fully xeriscaped landscaping which the HOA isn't happy about but protected by state laws 😀
I live in a forrest and want a lawn and picket fences. Because that is something only see on TV shows. So guilty. I love nature so much. But my hydranges need a lawn.
Nice! Often times, especially in more forward-thinking states, state laws supersede HOA nonsense. I have a compost pile behind my townhouse.
Can someone explain how to win a fight against HOA to get HOA removed from your neighborhood?
I want to evict HOAs or make them extinct in my area, whatever comes first.
@@DylanBegazo It's hard, sadly, because it's such a big business, and in the USA, we have the best government that money can buy. Lawn "care" companies routinely spray 2, 4-D, one of the two active ingredients in Agent Orange because they contribute either directly or indirectly to Democrats and Republicans alike. There are only two ways to buck HOAs, as I see it: 1) Refuse to live in a place with a place with an HOA, or 2) convince the majority of the members to toss out the current HOA and replace it with something better--which, given how most people act, is very, very hard.
Lawns are the reason I hate the suburbs, which is why I'm buying a condo.
Getting rid of my lawns was the best choice ive done. I replaced them with tons of fruit trees which produce actual food in the same space my lawn took previously. Plant more trees instead🤙
Hmm. And what's under the trees? Naked soil?
Americans: We don't like communist apartments! I love my individuality!
Also Americans: Builds Suburbia and creates HOAs
Why is it like this 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
They are literally forcing everyone to be the same...
It's the old NIMBY paradox.
People have a lot better opportunity to put characteristic into their suburban properties tho. I wouldn't compare...
@@richardnemeth5911 lol HOA says no
As an engineer for a major lawn mower manufacturer, I think about this every day and how we create thousands of mowers a year that are unnecessary and it's an endless cycle of waste😢
And then they're buried or dumped into mountain-high mounds with all the metal-based discards -- washers, dryers, exercise equipment, bbqs, cars, trucks, RVs, stoves etc etc ... and this excess has destroyed our planet since industrialization. Then there are the plastics, synthetic textiles, fiberglass, building products most of which are toxic ......
Leave your job if at all possible. Engineer something else. You’ll feel better.
I am a ex landscaper. I did residential and commercial landscaping for one of my local companies. I am also a conservationist. It did not take me long to see how disgusting and unsustainable this practice is on the Grand scale.
I've since quit that job, I mow less than 50% of my yard that I used to and I'm planting native landscaping plants like big blue stem and wild flowers. My favorite thing is a batch of red yarrow that I'm going to be adding as accents to a few areas around my place.
Sounds like you need to either make a difference in your company and get a new job and advocate against it. I can’t imagine working or being a part of something I don’t believe in.
My neighbor converted his lawn into a farm. He grows crops for all the seasons. When he had a surplus, he left some green beans at our door step.
I gotten a fine from my town (not HOA) over having grass too high before. Always look up your local laws if you don't want to have to maintain a lawn.
Please do not push the “fake” lawn trend. Nothing could be worse then covered the earth with plastic.
It was so unexpected, they are even worse in my opinion and many others
Much better than real lawns tho
11:13 is where he talked about (and definitely didn't advocate for) fake lawns. You did how ever just self report yourself as one of the "suckers" who would insist on having grass. Great comprehension skills.
Yes, coverd it with lawn xd
@@munkyenimahe never said anything about insisting on grass. There are so many alternatives, weird assumption to jump to
As a native Arizonan and victim of the ever-expanding heat island in Phoenix caused by the profusion of xeriscaping and concrete roads, buildings, etc, I am a proponent of a return to (appropriate) green space in the burbs. Xeriscaping, which uses a lot of rocks and plants that do not shade, throws heat right back up at your house, causing more heat inside, an increased need for air conditioning, and increased electrical expenses. A nice thick lawn and some shade trees help by making a cool island right next to your house. I am also in favor of using native species, nature gardens, and vegetable gardens to provide the same effect.
maintaining a lawn will cost you a lot of water in a climate like Arizona, which is not ideal for the environment
Xeriscaping _should_ be coupled with a canopy of water wise trees and shrubs and cacti
The goal is to shade the stones so they aren't sucking up solar energy, without having to constantly water grass that would otherwise become a fire hazard.
There are a lot of tree species available, native and otherwise, that thrive in such conditions without supplemental water. You can stretch it even further with modest watering, perhaps 10-20% of what a lawn would require
"I'm hot, so my unsustainable use of non-native plants irrigated by non-renewable water supplies is justified." - You
I've always wondered why people were always so obsessed about patches of green
Like c'mon now, we can do so much better with that space !
“I will take capitalism and ostracizing the poor for $500 Alex.”
@@LeviHildebrandYT I paid for _that_ space. There're billions of acres of land go buy it, pave it over with cities and apartments. I fought my way out of the city. I love my lawn. Sit of your sidewalk and enjoy your cement.
@nunya___ completely missed the point lol. He's not discouraging having a lawn, just saying we shouldn't be obsessed (and force) how a lawn should be
@@nunya___ LOL
I live in California. I love my lawn and lawns capture and hold rainwater which is super important in California.
Glad I scoped out a house that didn't have HOA. We have a nice desert-scape (native plants) in our front and a yawn in our back but we don't cut it and water it once a week for 15m. Our kid feels like an adventurer because it's gotten to the point of the grass looking mangey. I've noticed more birds flocking eating bugs and it feels more natural over the overly green and tidy look society pushes on us. On the plus side I hate hearing the sound of yawn mowers and like being lazy. My parent's don't really approve they tend to complain when they're over about the state our back scape but maybe I'll send them a link to this video.. we live in a desert we should conserve water and I'll overtime get rid of our yawn for good just that I still want it around for my kid just in case she wants to get some energy out.
I imagine there is trash all over your lawn and your house looks like garbage falling apart on every side and the air is tainted with cigarette smoke and weed and your house LOST value after you moved in...
@@Waldo1122normal response lol
Lawn care is actually one of my most cherished hobbies, i do all the weeding by hand and mow every 5 days. I let the clover grow in to improve soil quality and drought tolerance. I use very few chemicals because i want it to be safe for my pets (including a box turtle).
But it is my hobby and I recognize that most people aren't really that into it. People should be able to use their land however they want, that's just a fundamental part of property rights. We have truly lost our way when state violence is used to enforce grass laws.
im a new home owner and this is my first lawn and backyard. Really come to liking it as a past time hobby maintaining it. I see there are quite a few clovers in my lawn. should i let it grow?
@@SMONclips I personally don't like clover and it's easy to spray-away with a hose-end sprayer. Most herbicides are natural plant based hormones or salts so safe. Just don't drink it or be exposed everyday. Over seed clover areas in the fall and include lime.
@@SMONclips @sman8289. Probably, they are companion plants and create a lush low maintenance turf together. I overseeded with white clover to speed up the process.
Clover was historically intentionally mixed into grass seed mixes until broadleaf herbicides and fertilizers made it possible to have true monoculture lawns. That means the downside is that you will be doing most of your weeding by hand, which isn't really a downside for us lol.
Grass creates oxygen and pulls carbon out of the sky. You're helping the environment and everyone
@@tavelkyosoba I know that farmers planted clover to feed livestock. I never heard it purposely put in yards but it happens. Bumble Bees LOVE it. :)
I work for a water treatment plant mowing water towers in my city. We have massive plots of land for no reason that we have to mow. Its funny too how you can see how much water we have to produce when people water their lawn, and then see water production fall of a cliff because people aren't watering their grass.
Fortunately, Colorado has passed a state law that says HOAs cannot overrule homeowners planting native and water-wise plants. It is not as well known or publicized but it should be so that those who don't want kentucky blue grass can replace it with native grasses like buffalo or grama (because I think they can still require a % of "lawn"/grass but you can make it a water wise and lower maintenance "lawn")
I feel personally attacked - lmfao it’s a joy to mow the lawn, smoke a cigar, and have a nice bourbon looking at it. Dogs chilling in the grass and having fun - I enjoy the nice lines and patterns - smack a few golf balls on it .just got done aerating it, I also have a few acres of undisturbed woodlands to look at and one neighbor that helps mow part of my property that we share as a community so his kids can ride 4 wheelers on it. Set up a playground this summer a planning for a few fruit trees next year.
Do want to mention that lawns in an HOA suck so I do feel for people that forced to mow it.
Don't worry this guy just like to crap on things that other people (Particularly Americans) like.
When I was a kid, I used to grow plants and did most of the gardening that produced food. I decided to stop weeding and then I had buttercups, queen anne's lace, bluebells, all kinds of decorative grass and then the amount of insects in the garden went up. AND I got pretty flowers. The adage goes, if you don't weed, then your plants will be choked out--I found out this wasn't true at all. What's true is super manicuring your garden/lawn keeps it so you know which plants are "useful" but that's snobby Human talk for "I have no idea what my plants look like." I still got a full crop of tomatoes that ripened in the sun. I still got healthy rhubarb and chives and all of the other food plants I usually got, but I also got butterflies and other wildlife increase. I only pulled out destructive things like crabgrass, but I left a lot of the other plants. My parents saw this and called it "ugly" and "Embarrassing". They told me when I left the house they pulled out the entire thing because they couldn't tellthe difference between Queen Anne's Lace and tomatoes? C'mon. But what's not pretty about wildgrass and flowers blowing in the wind as butterflies come around to your garden and no one else's? 'cause the natural insects of the area have evolved to pollinate what? The native wildflowers. Doesn't take a genius. So they are more likely to visit your garden. Also, gotta say, it took less watering too. (May only be true of the area the garden was in). 'cause the root system is holding more water for the surrounding plants.
The thing is, if you spend time with your plants, your plants will benefit from less weeding as you encourage wild flowers, then more insects will come to benefit your food plants. The question is, can you tell the difference between your plants? I could, because I would spend time with them.
I also gave my relatives some wild flower packets (local) and they've been struggling with bad nemotodes... but the wild flowers did just fine and there were a ton of them, which then attracted natural insects, etc to their space, which then helped the fruit trees, etc they own.
The grass in your lawn comes from Africa. The great lawn expanses comes from Capability Brown. I don't think it's that hard to do the math--local wildflowers will help your gardening endeavors.
In 03, i had an anthropology professor who had done his thesis on the american front lawn. Im glad the problem is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Also, you can opt for species that are native to the US (Blue Grama, Buffalo Grass etc). They are very hardy and usually survive on solely rain water. This is usually a better option than clover and is going to give a better lawn look
I'm 100 percent addicted to my yard. I spend a ton of time thinking about it, caring for it, and buying equipment for it. I do vegetable garden in the back but in a raised bed as part of the yard.
I feel the same way. I love my lawn! The kids and dog love playing in it.
Some people really enjoy working on their lawns on the weekends . I'm not one of them but to each their own.
I'm pretty sure the biggest reason that the first house I bought had been on the market for two months was because it didn't have a traditional lawn. It had a lot of shrubbery and was fairly wild, though well-maintained. I assumed that too many prospective buyers passed on it because they felt they needed a lawn, but to who's benefit? When we eventually sold the house we wanted to be sure it passed on to someone who is going to value all the trees and bushes and not tear it all out to simply put in grass.
I love how all of the younger homeowners on my street have said f this were not playing this lawn game anymore. Thank god! One guy made his front lawn all native flowers, the rest of us are just letting our lawns grow to around 6 inches before cutting. My husband and I are considering ripping the whole stupid thing up and seeding creeping thyme. it is great ground cover that uses less water - good because we don't water our lawn we just let it die and cheer when it does...it always comes back when it rains. You can't kill it in NY. Thyme also doesn't grow very high and best of if all, it grows purplish flowers in the spring! I told a few of my neighbors about it and others are also considering the change. And then there's our resident ex-county sheriff who mows his lawn into what I can only best describe as a flattop worthy of Arnold Schwarzenegger's hair in Commando. He pays for a company to spray cancer shit all over the place then painstakingly plucks errant grass blades. Every Saturday he's out there for 1-2 hours mowing, weed eating, edging, weeding by hand and finally leaf blowing all his toxic crap into neighboring yards, the street, whatever. I'm thankful that our garden is a number of houses away but I'm not dumb enough to think that we're actually protected from his chemical warfare. I won't let our dog walk on his lawn when we got for nightly strolls. He and one other guy seem to be having a competition. Thankfully most of the other residents are either two tired from work, elderly, or young enough to not give a f about their lawns. I hope this trend continues and eventually we'll all just quit being handcuffed to our landscaping. But as long as Steve the cop and his brethren exist, we're stuck with this resource sucking, toxic waste.
My neighbors around the corner have planted native wildflowers and milkweed and let it take over their lawn. It’s actually really pretty and zero maintenance. Their yard is a haven for bunnies and bees.
Not that toxic. It's mostly nitrogen (78% of _AIR_ is nitrogen) and traditional weed killers were mostly salts (metals and minerals) but most modern herbicides are synthetic mimics of natural plant hormones that interfere with the growth of the target plants.
Some people (like me) enjoy working in the yard. It's a hobby, relaxing, like taking your dog out to pee on other peoples stuff at night.
I’m pretty sure your neighbor appreciates you keeping your animal off of his lawn. I wish more people would do that because obviously you see he puts real pride into his property. You don’t you don’t understand it, but I like that you appreciate, or at the very least respect his hard work that he puts into his property by keeping your dog off of the lawn.
Just seed it over the grass, if you don't water the grass it'll probably die off and the thyme will take over.
I'm not sure about where you are but a lot of places its actually illegal to blow grass clippings into the street. Its insanely dangerous for bikers. Like where I am "Illinois law requires that homeowners clear grass clippings from the street, or face a fine of up to $1,500 for a first offense to $25,000 for a third offense. Statistics show those who choose two wheels over four are 35 times more likely to be in a deadly accident." You dont seem like the type but if you ever get the urge Id let old sheriff know.
Otherwise I love this, I hope more places become like your street!
One problem with doing nothing with your green spaces, is that stuff we don't want growing are most likely to take over, be it garlic mustard, tree of heaven, dog strangling vine or japanese knotweed. Many of the more prolific plants that will take over an abandoned lawn are other invasive species. So some level of intervention, involvement or planting should take over the lawn maintenance routine or you just end up with a different set of issues.
Hmm that's super interesting and an angle we hadn't considered! It's definitely best to be intentional about what you're doing with your property to get the most out of it while staying on top of invasive species... thanks for sharing!
I have to agree. Doing nothing is not an option where I am unless I want to perpetuate the invasive and noxious weeds in the area. I don't plant grass, but the invasive have started encroaching on the natural areas around here and cause much more damage than just grass would. There are also grass mixes that require no water or fertilizer for most zones. They go brown in the hot parts of summer and winter, but come right back with the rain.
Again, lots of good options besides your typical lawn.
Agreed, especially if try to have a perennial garden…..things like dandelions and thistle crab grass etc will take over your beautiful English garden…having a bit of lawn keeps this down. My neighbors have no lawn just a bunch of brick sidewalks, pathways etc…..oh and yes a lot of invasive weeds and flavin on top of that. Sorry but it’s just nasty looking all the time. I also have to deal with the tree seedlings growing up,through the fence….yippee.. Context, it is a townhome community, with most yards fenced to provide a layer of privacy….
Didn't think about the invasive species issue, but that makes sense! I live in Northern Cali, and the issue with doing absolutely nothing is that you'd end up with vegetation right up against your house, and that's obviously an issue come fire season. Cities around here generally have rules about how close vegetation can be to your home, or how thick it can be. They'll even mark dead trees so homeowners know to cut them down so they're not kindling if a fire were to break out.
The wording in this video is definitely well meant, but very wrong. If you just let your yard grow "naturally" you will have many problems, including invasive as mentioned, but also so. many. insects. Ticks are proficient disease carriers, and thrive in tall vegetation.
The concept you're most likely thinking of is "rewilding". That is, regrowing a natural habitat from your lawn. Look up forest succession, (or x ecosystem succession for those not living in a forest habitat) and study the plants that will grow after the pioneer species set in. Those are the plants you want to add to your lawn, slowly phasing out the grass (if you rip up all the grass and expect natural habitat to form you'll be disappointed by an abundance of noxious weeds). Also keep an eye out for native pioneer species, and let those be where they sprout.
I’ll keep my nice lawn! I’ll keep spraying pre emergents and post emergents 😊 i love being out there mowing every 3 days!
Around here, lawns are a firebreak and the old timers used them to prevent forest fires from destroying their homes.
Looking at Calofornia: doesn't work.
@@CordeliaWagner because its dead and brown…
This has been the source of extreme frustration since getting a 2 family home with my BiL/SiL. I watched as the clover got decimated, had my suggestions of wild flower planting shot down, and basically watched as my city life family fulfill their Better Home and Gardens dreams.
Lawn care actually makes you think. Those that have really nice lawns on their own without paying experts to maintain the lawn for them have to do a ton of research and trial and error. A lot of hard work goes into lawn care. Lazy people don’t like hard work.
It’s a great experience when you finally see all your hard work and time pay off, and can sit outside and take in the lush, green lawn and other plants.
And it’s nice to have a real grass lawn because it actually cools the air around it and it’s much more enjoyable playing with your kids or pets on a real grass lawn instead of on artificial turf or cement.
Preach, in Jersey almost everyone gardens.
Reject boring grass
Embrace growing corn on every patch of land you own
🌽🌽🌽 !!!!!
Only works if you have no trees and the proper amount of water etc…….corn has certain horticultural requirements. Duh why corn is grown mostly on former prairie land in the Midwest……
@@laurachristianson1688 "Proper amount of water" clearly the lawn loving suburbanites have enough water
You know corn is a type of grass? It also requires more water than grass. It also sucks all the nutrients out of the soil. It also doesn't reseed itself or come back every year so after one crop you have a big dead swath of land that you have to do something with.
in his defense, he did say "boring" grass. also i think this is a half-joke @@gennafer
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the video is how important lawns are to prevent runoffs of soil from going into our lakes and streams whenever it rains.
I think the runoff can also be prevented by gardens instead of lawns
Or just wild green stuff that grows on dirt. Crazy how a field in the middle of nowhere can have plants without humans maintaining it!
Without human maintenance the plants that grow are usually not edible or specific to helping humans.
@@Neoprenesiren but the plants store more CO2 and have more cooling effect than grass
@@corrie127 who cares the ocean does that too
I like having a lawn. I find it beautiful to look at when I’m surrounded by pavement everywhere else. It’s a safe place that my kids love running around and playing in. I almost never have to water it and only need to mow it once every 1-2 weeks, which takes 15 minutes. I don’t buy or use any of that other stuff mentioned. The alternatives mentioned don’t really make sense for someone who lives where I do and has young children. Though moss is fine. I don’t care as long as it’s green and mowed.
100%. Well maintained lawns are beautiful
You should consider clover! Its even less maintenance, better for wildlife, and im sure the kiddos would love to try finding four leaf ones lol You only have to mow it once in a while, but it pretty much stays fairly short. That way you can have the benefits you like with the lawn but also will be helping the local environment.
I enjoy working on my lawn. It's my hobby. Is that so bad?
I watch this as I cool down from mowing my lawn for the last time. Transitioning the rest of the non-garden space to mulch and native wild flowers. Super low maintenence stuff and its gorgeous.
I live in a rural area and all I do is mow the lawn maybe once a month at most (2 acres with a push mower). It's nice to have a regular excuse to get outside and do some exercise. Sure my lawn has patchy spots and some moss but I don't care!
While I love your videos, I also love my lawn. I get enjoyment from mowing the grass. It’s a nice little workout, it’s like a project that keeps on giving.
Permaculture and ethical polyculture are amazing ways to use land.
Facts! Fruit trees are the best alternative, plus they produce food
As if americans have enough space for a farm lol
@@william6509 you're right, fruit trees that you cannot walk on should replace the grass, that you walk on...
I grew up with dichondra. Being in the desert I was not sure it would do well, had grass. A bird left me a present and some dichondra started to grow in the sunny part of my yard and then traveled to shade etc. I am slowly transitioning my front yard and I also have wild clover growing, another bird gift. The two mixed looks really nice and they do not need mowing. So many have transited to desert scape, I do not like that and it also raises the temp., around the property. Planting native foliage which will bring pollinators, have a ton of lizards. I do NOT use any fertilizer, weed kill, anything that is not nature, have a non-toxic safe yard and my wild critters love it.
You speak the truth. I will play this to my wife who I'm trying to convince to get rid of the lawn a nd have some pebbles instead. It's effortless, no water/sprinkler/mower saga all the time, looks a lot cleaner and is a lot cleaner. Thank you, you saviour!!!😂
Godspeed 🤝 best of luck!!!
You'll still get weeds and pulling weeds out of loose rock is an enormous pain in the ass. I suggest covering it in a biodegradable mulch.
Maybe try clover instead? Id be on her side with the rocks thing tbh lol (absorbs/radiates heat, can be a safety hazard, have to line the ground with plastic first to try to keep weeds at bay, isnt great for local wildlife, and imo 95% of them just look bad) but clover takes pretty much no work and looks great! Dont have to mow much if at all and its hardy, shouldn't need to water or fertilize or anything like that. Plus has flowers for local pollinators ❤❤ Good luck!
I second the clover comment, helps the bees!!
You'd be surprised how IMpractical pebbles en masse are: windblown debris always struck; weeds with long burrow-like roots love it, hard to pull out too; pebbles gather & radiate heat - worst thing for summer & very dry air around, which is bad for your lungs and skin; uncomfortable to walk on too; and just plain boring~
I like my grass lawn. A nice green weed free lawn represents status.
Counterpoint: When I was a kid and lived with my parents in the suburbs, we had a reasonably-sized lawn that we mowed every week but otherwise left unkempt, and it I spent hundreds of hours playing whiffleball, baseball, capture-the-flag, gymnastics, pogo-sticking, and more in it. If the grass hadn't been mowed, there would have been more bugs and tripping hazards and it would have been annoying to walk on or try to roll balls on. If there hadn't been grass, it would have been too muddy and treacherous.
When I grew up and moved to the country, I let a large section of my yard go untouched in hopes of getting a nice meadow, but all I got was a bunch of gross-looking, poisonous weeds.
Also, there something about gardens that just attracts weeds like a magnet. I have a 10'x20' garden and it's absolutely lousy with weeds. Imagine a whole yard like that. Yes, I should weed it, but the point it that you can get out of mowing by uprooting your grass and replacing it with tomatoes. Mowing a lawn is much easier. And lawns don't attract pests like gardens do
Just gonna paste what I said elsewhere, but this channel is mostly about making people feel bad about the things they like. (Or making people feel good by separating themselves from others who do like those "scams") The videos are well produced though and thought provoking so I enjoy it.
As someone who wishes the lawn obsession wasn't so prevalent. I think any kid who played on lawns will remember those good times in their neighborhood forever. So big deal if people like providing a space for their families to have fun touching grass.
Ticks and other parasites thrive in tall grass, so it’s a good idea to mow/trim the high traffic areas.
Depending on where you live and the health of the local ecosystem, you’ll get a different sort of wilderness than the picture-perfect bucolic prairie. What you consider to be weeds is often an important building block of your environment, only your direct experience of them isn’t necessarily pleasant. Any garden requires a bit of maintenance to not become a tiny forest or extended thorns fest, but I believe that finding a balance between enjoyability and maintenance is where the cookie dough’s at. :) We’re talking about tidying up one’s garden without turning it into a mere sterile patch of stunted grass.
(Edit: I saw a documentary about some people who bought a massive area of land and let it go untouched for years. The first things to grow were unfriendly weeds, but they stabilized the ground and provided cover for other seeds to thrive: soon enough the hills were covered with young trees ^^)
Yeah. I have both. Garden as well as a lawn and you are correct. Much harder to take care of the garden. Rewarding, but harder...
Alternative: public parks, public soccer/baseball fields, public courts, etc… or live in a condo with shared amenities.
The video simply failed to mention there are very specific or limited uses.
I just found this channel and absolutely love it. Keep up the awesome work!
As an avid gardener and lawn owner I get annoyed by the take just plant food or flowers etc. Taking care of any plants, food, flower or grass requires nearly the same amount of time and supplies. All of them need food and water. All of them need to be cut, pruned, trimmed, harvest, composted. A food garden usually requires a lot more investment in the form of good soil, plant seed, various fertilizer, pesticide (organic or not), and hand weeding. If you think lawn care is too much, believe me when I say your garden will be a real pain in your ass. Xeriscaping is great but most people don't like the look of native plants if you live in a dry climate. Turf is worse than literally any option, please don't cover your lawn in plastic, no one should have to tell you why not. Plant low maintenance ground cover, that can be things mentioned like clover or moss, also some creeping succulents make excellent grass replacement and don't need anything but occasional water and they flower. Or if you live anywhere that remotely gets decent rainfall just plant grass appropriate for your climate and it pretty much takes care of itself except mowing which can be done with a $25 push mower (yes, they still make them). No one needs all that equipment listed. A mower and weed wacker is all you need to keep it tidy. Don't want any of it, just cover your yard in pavers.
I have tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of berries, peas, lettuce and raddish and I have zero equipment beside a composter (that I totally could do without). Now, sure, it does take me time, and probably as much as people with their green version of asphalt, but I get food in the process and it actually looks nice (unlike lawns).
@@transfixit really? You don’t have shovels or weeders, trellis or t-post or stakes or tomato cage, string something to tie a plant to a support, pruners, pots and/or planters of some kind, wheelbarrow or wagon or bucket or trash bin to move your compost from the garden to the bin? You don’t fertilize those crops? Or have any kind of pest control even neem, dawn, alcohol or DE or BT? No mulch or even cardboard to suppress weeds? sprinklers? You must live in the garden of Eden.
I have some version of all of those things. I also have a lawn. The only unitaskers for that lawn are a lawn mower and weedwacker, $200 for both about 10 years ago.
Yep, I have two acres and manage it with a single mower. It definitely is not my hobby, but I love pulling into my drive with a fresh mowed yard.
Thank you for inserting some sanity in this matter. Also, those who argue tons of water and chemicals are applied to lawns...they need not be. Organic fertilizers, proper soil amenities (as you would do with ANY plant), and deep rooting cultivars can negate all of their argument against lawns. AND, grass supplies more oxygen per acre, than do trees. A fun fact naysayers may want to Google before screeching about my being incorrect.
I live in a high rise condo. Part of the reason for choosing it was I grew up cutting grass for my parents lawn service and never desire to do it again. If I were to move to a house I’d probably go with one of those rock and native plant landscapes with maybe a small astroturf area.
Love the channel stumbled upon it recently, keep up the good work. While I like the look of lawns, I remember working on our lawn as a kid growing up at our house and hated it. It always seemed pointless. Loved becoming an APARTMENT LIBERAL 😅. Rock on giving us some fun content, totally appreciate you and your team! Have a great day!
I just seeded my front yard and OMG I had no idea the rabbit hole that’s lawn care it’s crazy the amount you can spend on grass
I love having gardens all over my back yard. The rest of the yard grass area is ridiculous. I'm incredibly grateful I have a lawn area to garden in though.
I love the garden oases in my yard.
I don't understand how HOA regulations like that are legal. Like, I understand and support "garbage is to be sorted and put out in a certain way", or "trees are not to touch power lines", or "music or anything from a speaker which is heard on other plots (unless mutually agreed) is forbidden" and other laws of safety and convenience, or even "a building should not be taller than" - in order not to shade others. But that... what about your precious private property and freedom?
This is insanity.
I have a home in the woods, and luckily my lawn is mostly clover and moss. I understand why people like lawns, it is easier to get where you want to without battling high weeds. But if everyone had lawns like mine, there would be a lot less problems associated with it. All I have to do is mow it like once a month to keep weeds at bay and at a desirable height. I frankly don’t care if my lawn dies during a drought because it will shortly come back and I’m not going to stress the water supply.
I have a 6500 Sq ft lot with no lawn in the city. I love being different and it gets many compliments.🙂🙂💚💯✨️
Ok I think there’s a healthy balance. I’ve been a landscaper before and letting your yard go crazy can be expensive/difficult due to the habit it creates for pests such as wasps, rats, ants, etc… and dangerous animals like spiders, snakes and ticks. I live in Texas we have prairie grass it’s rough and doesn’t really grow during the summers. We don’t water it directly the septic system keeps it alive because it’s tied to our sprinklers. If we don’t mow it down the weeds are very aggressive and you get burrs everywhere. There has to be a intentional cultivation and maintenance or else nature will start claiming back your property.
I can’t wait for them to realize that the plants they let grow next to their siding causes you to move without selling. lol water and pest damages are crazy. That’s just lazy.
We use our front lawn for Gardening and Farming. We grew our own sunflower, pumpkins, Corn, Squash, tomato's, cucumbers, broccoli and cabbage. The neighbors love the free food.
We begrudgingly have a front lawn, but thankfully no hoa and routinely do not mow our lawn for the first time until the end of May. Too many insects relay on the early blooms of Spring and I refuse to limit their food resources. I recently watched a time lapse of an aerated lawn where they planted thousands of crocus; that’s my next goal.
Our back yard is dedicated to no mow ground cover, wild flowers, fruit trees/ vines, & a large vegetable garden.
What did you use for the no mow ground cover?
People that don't take care of their lawns, are the same people that don't wipe their ass because they're just going to shit again...
Condo (or "apartment") HOAs are awful too for different reasons. They hike fees while not taking care of structures and common areas like they are supposed to.
I agree that life without matching lawns would probably be much better. My only fear is bugs. I have heard of people doing clover lawns and I also like the idea of moss.
Some plants kerp certain bugs away. That's how old fashioned organic farmers do it.
You might have an interesting time researching this.
I'm gay and my meticulously kept lawn is my way of expressing that to the world
YES!! Last May we revegetated our front verge here in Western Australia with locally native species… the lawn we had previously always looked sad, dry, and full of weeds! 18 months later & its growing really well! Aside from the first summer, we’ve hardly watered at all, and the plants are growing beautifully! We’ve also seen an influx of bees, birds & lizards. Our back garden has been planted with natives for ~3yrs, and we’ve noticed gradual increases in wildlife activity in this period, too. We still keep 13sqm as turf for our little dogs, but that’s plenty for them & they spend most of their outdoor time sun baking or in the garden beds anyway! I’m all for revegetation of our yards with locally endemic species!
I like having a lawn, it makes for a beautiful view of my house with trees, plants, fence and other things that I plan on doing in the future. It feels really good coming home after a long day of hard work, and walking up to a decently maintained lawn.. Living in Canada where its dark, white and cold almost half of the year makes me appreciate my lawn even more.
I think those "recommended" lawn maintenance intervals are ridiculous. I mow my lawn only once a month or so. I water it by hand a couple times or so a week. Seeding and fertilizing once or twice a year. Its really not that bad, and I find the time that I spend caring for my lawn is very therapeutic.
Now, my lawn isn't the greenest and bestest in my neighbourhood but its good enough for me. I know there are a lot of people out there who are very extreme and crazy about lawn maintenance that waters everyday and spends a tonne of time and money caring for their lawn.. But its their time and money, so I won't judge.
Here in central Honshu we have about an acre. 1/3 is "lawn", cut regularly (sometimes) and there's plenty of dandelions and clover and stuff. The kids and dog like this, and so do I. 1/3 is a large garden for food, and the remaining third is wooded and "wild-ed" ie. flowers and shrubberies etc. to please the birds and the bees.
It works out. No watering, fertilizing (except poo for the garden) and no weed killers anywhere.
The thing is - you and your neighbors ARE the HOA. If your HOA requires a certain type of yard - that's you and your neighbors requiring it. Get involved and change the policies. This is all purely anecdotal, and perhaps I'm biased by generally wanting to live in areas with sane people, but every single HOA I've been a member us was absolutely starved for people to help run it and were completely open to changing problematic policies.
Most HOAs that I know of are owned and run by larger management companies that are four states away and don't care who runs the group as long as they get their fines. Sometimes an even bigger and further away company will buy that one! It really is all a scam.
HOA & “Sane people” dont belong in the same sentence.
We just got our first house and we have been fighting with our lawn since then…trying to grow it because it was patchy and now it’s growing too fast because we can’t find anyone reliable to cut it. So we just got a trimmer and will work on a mower…but how I’m feeling grass is a pain in the a$$ lol
11:43 I take advantage of a mow MORE May. Because it is a proven fact that the more you mow the less herbicides that you need to spray on your lawn to kill weeds. Weeds can't handle regular mowings It stresses them out too much and then they die on their own. I have spots sprayed my lawn once this season and as long as you follow the 2/3 rule and only cut 1/3 of the grass height off at a time your grass is going to grow thicker and stronger and smother weeds.
I think lawns make more sense as long as you dont have to water it constantly. I live in the CA central valley. We took out our front lawn and left only a patio sized lawn on a quarter acre. Also use a lower water blend. Most houses in our neighborhood have huge front and back yards, basically all grass. I like deep, layered shrubs and trees
I like a green lawn. Doesn’t neee to be free of weeds or neee to be 100% grass. I just don’t want dirt and muddy yard. I water my lawn in the spring and summer and the wildlife loves it. The chip munks, squirrels, rabbits. Humming birds grass hopper etc love it. The birds like to cool off in the sprinkler too.
😭😭😭, i believe this is so true because andrew from the mkbhd channel recently bought a 60K lawn machine & i was so shocked as a non-us citizen
I love my lawn. The kids play soccer on it, the dog runs on it, we have picnics on it, slip and slide, and inflatable bouncies during parties. I like the color green, it smells great after watering or after rain or after cutting it. We also have our annual Thanksgiving Day football game on it. The dog also poops on it, hopefully not just before our Thanksgiving Day game. 😂 So instead of preaching a 'one size fits all' mentality of getting rid of your lawn, why not just encourage people to convert PART of their lawn to native plants, drought tolerant plants, or something else?
That goes against this channel's content strategies. Gotta make people feel bad about the things they like.
I'm saying this as someone wishes the lawn obsession wasn't so prevalent. But any kid who played on lawns will remember those good times in their neighborhood forever. So big deal if people like providing a space for their families to have fun touching grass.
Having HOA is such a wild idea to have in America that prides itself as land of the free.
Grass is the biggest wasted effort in America. Lawn grass is worse for the environment than having no grass at all!
Exactly! Love to see new alternatives popping up tbh
Yeah, the opportunity cost is immense. Imagine what else could be done instead of having millions of people spending 50 days a year on work that has zero utility and takes up an incredible amount of real estate or land.
Nope that should go to all the tax payer built stadiums built that almost always eventually become demolished. Or the team fails and leaves like the Montreal Expos or the Oakland Athletics.
Actually it's super easy, barely and inconvenience.
Mostly I just mow it as needed. Listen to audiobooks and sometime have a beer as is do it. It's relaxing.
How so? I don't water my grass. I don't fertilize my grass. I just mow it with an electric mower. Explain to me how my grass is hurting the world??
Same thing with super tall ceilings. Like you’re never going to even stand in it. It’s just unused space.
This inspired me to make my lawn the best on the block
I only cut and trim my grass. And by cut... I mean, knock down. 😅😅
I don't water, fertilize, or spray for bugs. Our grass gets whatever nature gives to it at any given time. 😁😁
One of my true joys in life is mowing my lawn!
I love maintaining my lawn because it shows order and speaks high volumes. Not only that, a house is a symbol of who you are and how you live. Dead grass is for junkyards.
My backyard gets a lot of use. We have a 20 week old puppy
Funny that this video comes out just when I start watching King of the Hill, that Hank is crazy about his grass
Hate to be the "HOAs can be good sometimes actually" guy BUT I live in a condo complex and the HOA is necessary for it to function because there is sooo much shared property. HOA doesn't have any stupid rules and does a lot for the homeowners.
Gotta agree with you there. Having moved from a neighborhood with no HOA & a neighbor that had what looked like an ongoing yard sale and outside storage for seasons on end, to a neighborhood with super low HOA fees and “we’re not going to nit-pick” attitude, I will take the good HOA. Obviously anecdotal, but “never speak in absolutes.”
Same here. We have single family homes, but they focus on activities for the neighborhood and keeping up common areas. We have neighborhood events about every other month. Hubby is on the HOA board just to make sure everything is in check. They had one person on the HOA board that tried to change things last year, but he moved out of the neighborhood. They have raised HOA fees once in the past 40 years ($50 to $70).
In calgary you can switch to a non grass lawn. I use an aerate pitchfork. It takes time. Have simple plug in electrical mower, whacker. Only occasionally use granualar frertilizer if on sale. Only have little hose sprinkler, use rain barrel mostly, and have garden for veggies. In calgary.
I think this video needs a part 2 - Astro Turf Wars! Also, it would be interesting to do a piece on the lawn ban set to go into effect in Las Vegas in 2027.
Its honestly a good idea but by then....it might be too late/las Vegas might not be there anymore. The whole area is on borrowed time with the amount of water they waste.
In the village where I just moved you are required to mow the lawn at least once before the 1st of june, 1st of july, 1st of august and 1st of september. It’s important enough that it’s been mentionned in every village newspaper that has come out in the summer.
plant a garden... last time i gardened it needed to be water and fertalized just like grass
The challenge with a moss lawn is that it is incredibly fragile. My apartment's backyard is naturally mostly moss and it is so easy to just walk a little wrong and rip out a huge chunk from the ground, leaving a dirt hole behind for the next year.
Replacing the lawns won't make the house grid any less repetitive. And I feel like if people are spending that much on lawncare, it must range from, they live in a climate that shouldn't have grass growing, to they care a little too much. Everywhere I've lived, we've only mowed. The rain gave enough water, usually, and mowing was good exercise no matter who did it.
Admittedly, there was one place where the yard was big enough to warrant a tractor with a mowing attachment. But even there, I did a big area around the house with an electric mower.
But where we live now is smaller.
The sprinklers go for a minute or 2 at night when it doesn't rain.
We have a robot mower, and it cuts it nicely, and I trim the edges. No gas, either.
It's a good thing for me to do on the weekend.
But I recognize that not everyone can, or wants to do that.
I just wonder how much hotter neighborhoods would be if yards were replaced with rocks.
And you can't get away from weeds, as long as there's something for them to grow in.
Just, let's not throw the whole thing away
To each his own I like doing my lawn and mowing keeping it nice I know it sounds crazy but its relaxing to me ....plants and my lawn as well as my fishtank n just watching my fish all help with my anxiety people think iam nuts because I tell them I enjoy mowing it's my zen Time lol.....as for what people think or having the best lawn around I could care less
What if you have a dog?? Or what if you actually spend time outside lol 😅
You can still do that without grass lawns though. There are plenty of ways, my personal favorite being clover. Takes almost no maintenance and stays fairly short. Has the added benefit of not being grass, which a lot of people are allergic too (like myself, just thought forever everyone got itchy bumps from sitting in grass lmao). also if the argument is liking spending time outside, gardens are great for that.
The only thing I do to my lawn other than play outside with my son is cut it. I don't do all the extra crap. But I've also built a few raised pollinator gardens.
You missed out on an important chance to discuss the environmental impact of lawns vs alternatives. Loose stones and asphalt absorb and radiate more heat contributing to heat island effects, have more water run off contributing to droughts and increase likelihood of floods. With the increase of extreme weather events, creating a culture where we understand the importance of native species and their resiliency is essential. If enough people get on board, we can force governments to enforce climate friendly policies and scrap the lawn enforcing ones.
There is more than just "lawn or rocks" you know?
@@CordeliaWagnergo on?
native lawns for the win.
You're going to want to research 'No Mow May' a little more. It's mainly a feel-good trend with good intentions, and still is harmful to pollinators
clover + wild flowers by the edge FTW
Lawns aren't a scam. People like lawns. People want lawns.
Agree. Plus, am I wrong or do planes give off oxygen?
Now I don’t go nuts with chemicals and worry about the look of my lawn. Mower used every two weeks.
Interesting video though
@@Mr6384 yes grass, and every plant uses carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. And I just found the video weird because he's trying to gaslight us believing everyone hate lawns. You can make a video about the problems lawns might cause. Everything has it's own set of consequences. But the fact that he's trying to push this idea that people only have lawns because of tradition, or that they're forced is complete nonsense. There's a ton of things people did religiously centuries ago, that haven't done for hundreds of years since, simply because we don't want to. There are things from 20 years ago every household did that most households no longer do. So based on that alone, it's clear that lawns are still around because like them, and want them. Otherwise they would've just been a passing fad like so many things before.
No they don’t. 😊
People want wasting thousands of liters of water and extra amount of money to get burnt in yellow at summer short grass?
It’s not just HOAs. We don’t have one but the city here can and does regulate lawns. If you don’t mow, then you will get a notice and then they will charge you to mow it for you.
Lawns are awesome! It gives my kids and their friends a place to play and have fun and I can tell you to get off of it.
lmao thats great. But also perhaps consider integrating clover. It takes hardly any maintenance and stays fairly short. Kids love them too cause they can look for four leaf clovers lol better than grass all around.
The WHO recommends a minimum amount of 9 m2 of green open space per person (WHO, 2009). Many people don´t live close to parks, so where are they gonna get contact with green spaces?
UA-cam
I enjoy my lawn care. It's therapeutic just like detailing cars. Don't like it? Then don't worry about it.
I think you didn't really watch the video if you think "don't like it? then don't worry about it" always is an option.
Love this video! We have a micro-clover front yard, and do nothing to the back yard. We are definitely the odd ones out in our neighborhood. Thankfully, we don't have an HOA.
America : "The Land of The Free" : can't even chose to plant flowers instead of grass... What a world ! (cheers from Europe :) )
No european country is free.
@@Gordon_2000Yeah right gordon, just like you, americans, are free.
🏴 the Brits may have exported the lawn craze, and I'm not saying that we don't have lawns ourselves, but you folks in the US have taken it to extremes. We have the perfect climate for lawns. Fertilizer is seldom used, as is extra watering. And this nonsense about keeping grass to a regulatory 4" is all your own doing.
I like to throw wild flower seeds in my garden and let it grow all year, barring one cut in October, to keep it manageable. But I do also have a stone patio area I can sit in and enjoy.
It’s definitely a grassy situation 😂
We tilled up part of our lawn and put in a garden. The tomatoes grew insanely. Had so many we had to give some away after pureeing and freezing a lot