No Mow May

[sealybobo]

I dunno, looks like it's turning brown near the street. Place must be in the southwest somewhere. Hard to keep grass green in the summer.

Maybe that lawn isn’t a good example. I ride an ebike 50 miles on weekends. Went yesterday. I drive through a lot of ritzy neighborhoods. Yes they have big lawns with lots of grass but a lot of their landscape is stuff you put down and leave alone.

It can be done guys. We can do better than what we are doing now which is stupid. sod, cutting and watering grass. So costly, wasteful, extravagant, ludicrous, you broke asses love your lawns.

 

[sealybobo]

That "lawn" is a ton of work.

I live on a lake. Big lawn. I wish we’d dump sand on it and make it a beach. How much gas does it cost to rake a beach dingbat?

 

[Woodznutz]

Did you read your own article? Basically their only complaint is your neighbor might not like it. Everything else is fodder? In other words, nothing in your article says it not a good idea, unless you hate dandelions. And by the way? They are yummy. Want to lose some weight? Grow dandelions and pick them. Boil the stems, put lemon on and eat them like spinach.

My complaints aren't limited to those in the article.

Lawns with lots of dandelions are usually infected with several other varieties of undesirable weeds, that have no flowers that are beneficial to bees.

Dandelion and other weed seeds often seed neighboring properties that may not want those weeds, and can result in more use of chemical herbicides.

When those overgrown 'terraces' are finally cut much of the grass and weeds wind up in the street where the storm drains carry them to nearby waterways exacerbating aquatic weed and algae growth.

Finally, allowing grass and weeds to grow above "lawn" height 'scalps' the lawn of the tender grass leaving coarse stems that take weeks to recover.

I sprayed the property I manage last fall with Weed-B-Gone (having put it off for too long). This year I have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood. The grass is thick and lush with only a few dandelions poking up. I pick off the blossoms as they appear. However my next door neighbor has chosen to not mow his lawn, which is now full of dandelions going to seed. I will likely have to spray again next fall as his unkempt lawn will likely seed mine. Even as I write this the wind outside is blowing 20-25 mph, blowing seeds all over the place.

No Mow May is definitely not a good idea, IMO.

 

[Crick]

My complaints aren't limited to those in the article.

Lawns with lots of dandelions are usually infected with several other varieties of undesirable weeds, that have no flowers that are beneficial to bees.

Dandelion and other weed seeds often seed neighboring properties that may not want those weeds, and can result in more use of chemical herbicides.

When those overgrown 'terraces' are finally cut much of the grass and weeds wind up in the street where the storm drains carry them to nearby waterways exacerbating aquatic weed and algae growth.

Finally, allowing grass and weeds to grow above "lawn" height 'scalps' the lawn of the tender grass leaving coarse stems that take weeks to recover.

I sprayed the property I manage last fall with Weed-B-Gone (having put it off for too long). This year I have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood. The grass is thick and lush with only a few dandelions poking up. I pick off the blossoms as they appear. However my next door neighbor has chosen to not mow his lawn, which is now full of dandelions going to seed. I will likely have to spray again next fall as his unkempt lawn will likely seed mine. Even as I write this the wind outside is blowing 20-25 mph, blowing seeds all over the place.

No Mow May is definitely not a good idea, IMO.

What would you think of mowing (when you are not specifically looking for seed) but take a pass on the weed killers and herbicides? There are lots of native plant varieties that can be maintained at popular lawn height.

 

[Woodznutz]

What would you think of mowing (when you are not specifically looking for seed) but take a pass on the weed killers and herbicides? There are lots of native plant varieties that can be maintained at popular lawn height.

Not appropriate for a commercial property like mine. Anyway, the question is whether leaving lawns go to seed is beneficial to bees. I submit that it isn't, at least in my immediate neighborhood.

My lawn, having been sprayed last fall, and mowed regularly.

Neighbors' lawn across the street. Notice the absence of any flowers except a few dandelions.

Next door neighbors' terrace, also absent of useful blossoms, which will be mowed into the street, and then washed into the lake.

 

[daveman]

Maybe that lawn isn’t a good example. I ride an ebike 50 miles on weekends. Went yesterday. I drive through a lot of ritzy neighborhoods. Yes they have big lawns with lots of grass but a lot of their landscape is stuff you put down and leave alone.

It can be done guys. We can do better than what we are doing now which is stupid. sod, cutting and watering grass. So costly, wasteful, extravagant, ludicrous, you broke asses love your lawns.

I don't do any of that. Whatever grows, mows. And I don't care what grows as long as most of the dirt is covered.

 

[daveman]

I live on a lake. Big lawn. I wish we’d dump sand on it and make it a beach. How much gas does it cost to rake a beach dingbat?

None.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

That was true on Crypton.

Krypton was ended by CO2?

 

[sealybobo]

My complaints aren't limited to those in the article.

Lawns with lots of dandelions are usually infected with several other varieties of undesirable weeds, that have no flowers that are beneficial to bees.

Dandelion and other weed seeds often seed neighboring properties that may not want those weeds, and can result in more use of chemical herbicides.

When those overgrown 'terraces' are finally cut much of the grass and weeds wind up in the street where the storm drains carry them to nearby waterways exacerbating aquatic weed and algae growth.

Finally, allowing grass and weeds to grow above "lawn" height 'scalps' the lawn of the tender grass leaving coarse stems that take weeks to recover.

I sprayed the property I manage last fall with Weed-B-Gone (having put it off for too long). This year I have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood. The grass is thick and lush with only a few dandelions poking up. I pick off the blossoms as they appear. However my next door neighbor has chosen to not mow his lawn, which is now full of dandelions going to seed. I will likely have to spray again next fall as his unkempt lawn will likely seed mine. Even as I write this the wind outside is blowing 20-25 mph, blowing seeds all over the place.

No Mow May is definitely not a good idea, IMO.

One thing you could do is plant big oak trees in you backyard and in years to come your grass will be shaded and not need so much watering and ultimately less mowing. Or you’ll get a battery automatic lawnmower so you don’t have to do anything. Just set it and forget it.

You made better arguments than your article. Nice job.

 

[ding]

I live on a lake. Big lawn. I wish we’d dump sand on it and make it a beach. How much gas does it cost to rake a beach dingbat?

You should try that. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

[ding]

Maybe that lawn isn’t a good example. I ride an ebike 50 miles on weekends. Went yesterday. I drive through a lot of ritzy neighborhoods. Yes they have big lawns with lots of grass but a lot of their landscape is stuff you put down and leave alone.

It can be done guys. We can do better than what we are doing now which is stupid. sod, cutting and watering grass. So costly, wasteful, extravagant, ludicrous, you broke asses love your lawns.

I'm worried about you.

 

[sealybobo]

You should try that. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

I pay $200 a month association dues. $2400 a year.

 

[ding]

No. So the cities are saying.

recently embraced by cities, including Ann Arbor and Royal Oak, asks that you skip the lawnmower — at least until June.

Liberal cities. Nice cities run by liberals btw. Not all liberal cities are shit holes.

I hear Detroit is lovely.

 

[ding]

I pay $200 a month association dues. $2400 a year.

Sounds like they are getting in your pants.

 

[sealybobo]

I'm worried about you.

At least our big rich homes have 1 landscaping company who makes a damn good living cutting all our grass at one time very quickly.

You people in you cookie cutter subdivisions should all pay to have one company do all your lawns.

Compare that to each of you idiots buying lawnmowners and gas and wasting your saturdays destroying the planet with your little lawn mowers. They add up. The landscaper can do all your grasses with one or two lawnmowers and you can go back to listening to conservative radio.

 

[sealybobo]

I hear Detroit is lovely.

It is. You should see it. We‘re going to take the ebikes downtown to belle isle. Google the area ya ignorant fuck.

 

[sealybobo]

Sounds like they are getting in your pants.

That’s cheap. Florida same condo as mine, not on the water, $500 a month. You guys worship florida because they pay no state taxes. Bfd

 

[ding]

At least our big rich homes have 1 landscaping company who makes a damn good living cutting all our grass at one time very quickly.

You people in you cookie cutter subdivisions should all pay to have one company do all your lawns.

Compare that to each of you idiots buying lawnmowners and gas and wasting your saturdays destroying the planet with your little lawn mowers. They add up. The landscaper can do all your grasses with one or two lawnmowers and you can go back to listening to conservative radio.

I never cease to be amazed at the world that exists inside your brain.

 

[sealybobo]

Sounds like they are getting in your pants.

We just got new floating docks. Each bat club member had to pay $1400. Thats aside from the $200 a month. I got money.

 

[ding]

It is. You should see it. We‘re going to take the ebikes downtown to belle isle. Google the area ya ignorant fuck.

I said that I hear Detroit is lovely.