Stop using poison on your lawn

Stop using poison on your lawn(nytimes.com)

37 points by forkandwait 7 years ago | 26 comments

I'm 37.

I remember when I was 8, 10, 14. In the late 80's and early 90's. In the evening and night, bugs were everywhere if you drove. They were thick, like a fog all to its own. You needed windshield wiper fluid at minimum, and you'd have a hood-bug-stopper.

These days, I drive and drive and drive. And what do I not see? I don't see the clouds of bugs everywhere. I rarely have to use windshield wiper fluid - the majority was for bugs that just aren't there now.

I'm already feeling the life changes of climate change, and I'm in Indiana. It's no sealevel change, but its the very life; the bugs, the birds, the mammals, and plants that grow. I'm sure farmers feel it more, but given politics, it seems the farmers are against the idea of climate change - as it's some sort of democrat talking point... But we can just add more fertilizer.

rmrfrmrf 7 years ago |

Quite the romantic notion of wildflowers spontaneously blooming in your unkempt yard when the best you're likely to get is crabgrass.

scrumper 7 years ago | |

I get both, for what it's worth. Plenty of crabgrass later in the season, but abundant clover, wild strawberries, wild violets, and little tiny blue pansy things that I don't know the name of earlier. Bees everywhere!

Past July though it looks pretty shitty.

babyslothzoo 7 years ago | |

I don't consider maintaining or not maintaining a yard to be romantic, it's more of a chore. Gardening is a rewarding activity, but it's also not particularly romantic, it's what humans did for thousands of years to get food.

If I let my yard grow wild then I quickly have a large variety of wildflowers, interesting plants, and mixed wildlife in my yard.

Once an environment has been altered or landscaped in anyway, it requires what is considered neglect (and/or a lot of work) to get it back to a natural state. For most people with any sort of ever manicured yard, it's simpler to mow. Otherwise by modern standards it can be unsightly, is mostly socially unacceptable, considered bad for property values, etc, and it can also minimize the human use of a field.

forkandwait 7 years ago | |

This year I overseeded with a mix of ryegrass and clover, will keep my lawn mowed at 2 inches and watered. I hope the clover can bloom at that height and make the bees happy. It should look fine if I keep it at 2 inches every couple of weeks.

DoubleCribble 7 years ago | |

It may start off that way, but after a few years, that crabgrass may decline or die off entirely due to competition from native species. Around these parts, if you let the local squirrels have at it, you may wind up with a forest instead!

phasecode 7 years ago |

>Why poison the earth when you can have wildflowers at your feet and songbirds in your trees without even trying?

Because if my lawn has any random wildflowers the HOA will send a letter and a fine if it isn't fixed within 5 days.

anon491throw 7 years ago |

In the US, TSCA 1974 grandfathered in thousands of chemicals with zero proof of safety and no studies. I think Ralph Nader needs to hit this point every now and then to remind people that American chemicals are ridiculously under-regulated compared to Scandinavian and other Western countries. And if you're still using RoundUp, switch to table salt.. it will kill most plants but not kill you.

philipkglass 7 years ago | |

Killing weeds with salt is a terrible idea unless you want no plants at all to grow in your yard. And probably still a bad idea even then because there is no easy way to take the salt back out of soil.

throwmeawayl8r 7 years ago | | |

Often, that's desirable. Most recurring weeds grow in cracks between joints in concrete. Use good judgement, duh.

burfog 7 years ago | | |

You can still grow coconut and seagrape.

senectus1 7 years ago |

Oh hell no.

Here in West Australia we get these bastards in our lawn https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/declared-plants/doublegee-pest

Natures Caltrops. and let me tell you, they're strong enough to pop a tyre on a pushbike.

upofadown 7 years ago |

The author doesn't seem to have any real understanding of the various sorts of chemicals people use on their lawn.

sys_64738 7 years ago |

Vinegar?

LeoPanthera 7 years ago |

Important to be aware that this is an opinion piece.

Konnstann 7 years ago | |

Should the title be changed to "I think you should stop using poison on your lawn" then?

babyslothzoo 7 years ago | |

Yes, much of the media is, and when it's bothered to be labeled as opinion it is definitely opinion.

I find much NYTimes Opinion to be distasteful, cringeworthy, divisive, propaganda, and even inciting, but it seems a fairly reasonable opinion that unnecessary poison use is bad.

Do have the opinion that poison on a lawn is good?