111–120 of 127 posts
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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?
> way less risk of ticks That's only a side effect of "way less life" though
I mow just a few times a year, mostly just cutting paths and leaving big sections of taller grasses. Some examples: https://twitter.com/simonsarris/status/1629638819954786305 https://twitter.com/simonsarris/status/1651949172931674112 The fields naturally have lots of clover, black eyed susans, milkweed, and daisies. I've also planted a lot of my own flowers. You can still have parts cut low, and if you leave the rest…
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Takes a lot of time to maintain. Or like $300/m.
What kind of lawn needs that, rather than 1-2 hours of mowing per month? (I'm assuming an area where grass actually fits the environment. If grass won't just grow then that's a problem that doesn't need more explanation.)
I mow just a few times a year, mostly just cutting paths and leaving big sections of taller grasses. Some examples: https://twitter.com/simonsarris/status/1629638819954786305 https://twitter.com/simonsarris/status/1651949172931674112 The fields naturally have lots of clover, black eyed susans, milkweed, and daisies. I've also planted a lot of my own flowers. You can still have parts cut low, and if you leave the rest…
It almost sounds like you are bragging about being environmentally friendly. I think most people with a yard that big would just mow a lawn for their needs and let most it ]grow in with trees or whatever comes up. For the record, I have no problem with what you are doing and I think it looks cool.
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It’s funny to me how people have such crazy reactions to ticks. Don’t get me wrong, they can carry some scary stuff - but a few bites? I get a few bites a month during the spring and early summer, and probably take off 10x that amount before they attach. Some are deer ticks. I’ve heard of people taking ticks that were attached to the doctor. I guess my point is chances are you’ll be fine. Do what you can to prevent b…
you don't know anyone who got Lyme disease do you?
The tick bites that can cause you to become allergic to red meat are frankly a lot more scary to me.
The point is I've probably had 30 deer ticks in my life and I've been tested for Lyme disease plenty and they all came back negative. You certainly don't need to worry about regular wood ticks. Like I said, do what you can to prevent it. I spray my shoes with permethrin, for instance.
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> no-one ever sits on them. Doing stuff on your lawn is only part of its function. Much of the value it provides, arguably most of the value is a combination of: 1. More distance and acoustic isolation from neighbors. A larger property with a house in the middle of it separated from others by space means you hear your neighbors less and they hear you less. It makes your home a little more of a sanctuary. 2. A better…
The #1 reason for lawns is status signalling. Whether you were a nobleman in 17th century England or a suburbanite today, the lawn is a symbol of success — a reflection of who you are as a person. A good, clean, weed-free lawn is a sign you have the wealth and resources to devote to such a fundamentally meaningless project. https://www.dailycal.org/2021/03/20/why-do-we-have-lawns-any...
> 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)
kickball
whiffle ball
touch football
tag
hide-and-go-seek
"Mother, may I?"
throwing baseballs, softballs, footballs
the neighbor's teenage son practicing his golf swing with a plastic ballEarlier quoted context omitted.
I think having property standards is an important part of ensuring that people keep up their properties and by extension, maintain (and ideally beautify) their neighbourhoods. I can see how someone who puts the time and effort into creating an alternative to a lawn (such as a garden featuring wild species) may take issue with an ordnance that doesn't take into account alternatives to a traditional lawn, but when peop…
There's a big assumption persisting throughout this thread which I will challenge. That is: that HOA rules and enforcement results in better-maintained properties. What I have observed as a near-universal property of neighborhoods is that there are good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods. This always correlates with the quality of the population of the surrounding area, and sometimes (but not always) correlates with…
Many of the neighbourhoods in this city are quite diverse - in Canada more generally, I've never noticed the sudden, obvious changes in socioeconomic status that you notice after crossing a street or railway in the US. Along with that come wide variances in the degree of effort and care that people put into their properties. When the amount of care falls below a certain (legally defined) standard, then I do think those bylaws are helpful.
My next door neighbour at my last house was a cop and at some point he just decided he didn't care any more about his property, and his front yard was all weeds and his backyard was all dog shit. There was no amount of "sense of community" that was going to get him to keep his property tidy. He just...stopped caring.
There is also a legal (not to mention moral and ethical) requirement to clear snow from the sidewalk in front of your property within 24 hours of a snowfall. This is generally complied with, but the ~5% of people who do not comply make travelling along city sidewalks hazardous for the elderly and handicapped in the winter months. A "sense of community" is not sufficient to ensure prompt snow clearance, and once again, enforcement measures are helpful.
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The trend in Australia at the moment is to build on detached homes on 700 square metres, with just enough lawn to make a small electric lawn mower or gardening service necessary, but none of the benefits. See for example 26 Parkfield Drive, Youngtown Tasmania on your real estate platform of choice (Google search will do) to see what I mean.
Not much of a difference to recent new builds in Germany. Here it’s a function of the price for the plot. It’s so expensive that people will go with the smallest plot possible. Even nice upscale houses come with tiny lawns only today. See https://maps.app.goo.gl/nWzQHXVpKeBmW3UB7?g_st=ic