Why should I remove all of my grass, you say? Easy. It saves time, money and our climate. I don’t understand? Well….This all started when big business back in the 50’s brainwashed America into thinking that is was a dream fulfilled when you had a house, green yard, car, a couple of kids and a dog. Keeping up with the Jones’ it became. Seventy years later there really isn’t a difference. It is here where our mentality must start to change. There is a little momentum here and there, but if we are going to save some cash while saving the world simultaneously let’s look at some of the obvious things we benefit from by simply converting our green grass yards into something that it isn’t.
My next blog will go into styles of landscaping and the planting that can follow this concept, but for now let’s look at the time, money and climate savings.
Saving Time
How many times have you came home from a fun weekend or from work and had to hit up the ole’ punch list (or back in the 50’s it was coined the honey to-do list)? This usually happens once a week in the summer….right? Well if you could imagine coming home and kicking back without that on the list I would say many homeowners would be very excited at that notion. Other than not having to mow you will also see time savings by not having to sharpen mowing blades, not having to change the engine oil, not having the rake thatch or having to rake leaves.
Saving Money
Who doesn’t want to save a little cash (or a lot)? This list can seriously save you thousands of dollars per year. Removing mowing from your summer chore list eliminate:
- irrigation system and fixes to existing systems
- irrigation start-up and blow out
- gas
- mower maintenance
- fertilizer program
- weed whipping
- yard cutting service
- frustrating weed whipping replacement cord installation
- aeration
- fall clean up
- insecticide application for white grubs (Japanese Beetle Larvae)
- leaf blower
- Spring thatch removal (Power Raking)
Many of the above items are done by the homeowner which can add to the savings of time as well.
Saving the Climate
This next section will be detailed out more in the next blog, but for now please read about how replacing your grass with alternative options could lead to positive outcomes for the climate as well as environmental enrichment.
When yards are fertilized and mowed they create pollution and sediment. Without grass, many of the replacement plants will not only capture the pollution and sediment, but their roots will stabilize the ground preventing erosion. As a bonus, roots will also soak up excess water. Since we are having record rains this will really help the storm drains by sucking up a lot of run-off.
Plants will also capture carbon in the air as well as capture the attention of pollinators and butterflies. Diversity on Earth is fading. If we can keep the insects around they will be able to do their part in keeping our food sources pollinated and also provide food themselves for the birds (which are declining in numbers as well). Last but not least you will not have to rely of gas to run the mower and oil to keep the engine lubricated. In this, we will have eliminated the dependency on foreign oil in our yard. Image that……a self-sustaining yard without foreign influence and nothing other than the plants you helped pick.
Andy Freeland