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No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

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Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#11

Post by aaron695 »

With someone immunocompromised on the property long grass and mosquitos are a problem.

We mow heavier around the house because of this, too lazy to do everywhere.

Where we haven't been mowing really bad weeds have taken over. We are poisoning our way through them but it takes time.

> Lawns cover 40 million acres, or 2%, of land in the US

This is because they are amazing. They have a lot of mental health benefits with little mental work. You just mow... and immediately see the benefits of your work. Mowing is like the first coat of paint. It's a great example of how people are happier in the moment doing chores than in the moment with their kids.

This theme adds mental work, which is fine if you have it to spare, lawns are great iterative projects.

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#12

Post by madoublet »

thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

Looks nice. Soft to walk on. Great for kids and pets. Fairly inexpensive to maintain. Never really understood why people don't like lawns TBH.

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#14

Post by dgacmu »

thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

I'm probably not normal. We use it all the time. Probably helps that we have a playset and a trampoline and a garden back there - we were in the yard for several hours today (adults gardening, kids and their friend on trampoline). Of course, we've also eliminated half of the grass that used to be here in favor of more garden + perennial shrub/flower space, and I'd like to eliminate more over time as the kids get older, and we're the weirdos who compost and make our own mulch for the yard, etc.

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#15

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS »

thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

That's the beauty of freedom (which France helped us gain) - I don't really need to justify my yard usage to you.

But I'll give you one anyway - it's a nice buffer between me and my stupid neighbors.

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#16

Post by dgacmu »

madoublet wrote: post #12
thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

Looks nice. Soft to walk on. Great for kids and pets. Fairly inexpensive to maintain. Never really understood why people don't like lawns TBH.

In western and more arid states they're a huge waste of water. Really depends on the climate. In other areas they're just a lost opportunity for biodiversity. Mixing in some clover or other small perennial soft small flowers can help a lot with making it both self-fertilizing and more pollinator-friendly.

(We kept part of our grass for exactly that reason but it helps that we don't have to water the lawn here. With added clover I'm quite happy with it.)

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#17

Post by asow92 »

thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

To release us of our ennui, we mow and landscape our lawns. While many disagree, to others it's a status symbol and key part of the American dream. This is just how it's been since victorian times in the US.

I live in upstate NY, where grass grows more or less on its own. You can have a lush lawn here without weeding or watering if that's your choice.

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#18

Post by giantg2 »

guepe wrote: post #9
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

There is a strong advantage to regular mowing in my area (new england): way less risk of ticks. It's a real problem a'd with kids that spends time outside, ticks can be real scary. I got a few bites on myself and once on a kid, thankfully without side effects. What is impact of more natural landscaping wrt ticks in 'ew England?

Similar for mosquitoes in FL

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#19

Post by hanszarkov »

thatfrenchguy wrote: post #8
kelnos wrote: post #5

> residents of Appleton, Wisconsin [...] convinced their City Council to suspend their weed ordinance for the month of May. This reminds me that there are many municipalities and homeowners' associations that essentially require you to mow your lawn weekly or bi-weekly, lest your grass gets too long and they fine you, because... reasons. It's really gross that we allow people to be such busybodies.

Never really understood why people have lawns in the first place, no-one ever sits on them. Really shocked me when I moved to the US, people value having backyards and just don't spend time there (yeah I'm watching you commenting down on how much you use it and challenge you to actual journal how much time your family spends in there)

dogs, camping out-at-home, and sledding with kids, baseball/catch. I practice my golf swing in the summer, family fun

Re: No Mow May, Low Mow Spring

#20

Post by c22 »

I do this just because until mid-late spring the ground here is so wet my lawnmower will get stuck and just make everything look smashed and dirty. I also let it go extra long before my last trim of the season to allow the wildflowers to propagate.
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