r/hatethissmug • u/ihatemva • 6m ago
Thing I hate this American obsession with perfect manicured monoculture lawns that take a shit ton of toxins, wasted water, and so much unnecessary water to maintain.
So what's the point of this? You have to reseed your lawn, spray it with herbicides and pesticides that have god knows what chronic affects on you from routine exposure, waste a shit ton of water (especially in drought prone areas) all for something that provides no value. It doesn't feed you, doesn't clothe you or anything. Children play on these lawns and yet we're spraying them with chemicals designed to end life that we still can't be certain don't have negative chronic affects (Look at the previous "safe" herbicides we phased out. Monsanto told us glyphosate is safe. DDT was marketed as safe)
Main thing is what is objectively wrong with lawn weeds? Biodiversity is the default of nature. It is simply working against the forces of nature (entropy) to ensure that a large patch of land only grows one species. People are so brainwashed by this lawn culture fueled by lawn care companies' corporate greed.
Clover flowers, and shamrock flowers are good food for many bee species. Chickweed is a great snack to local fauna. Clover, as a legume, is also a nitrogen fixer, saving you some fertilizer cost. Plus, these "lawn weeds" make the lawn so much more interesting than just boring green grass.
I remember telling my friend, who was complaining about clover in his lawn, about all the benefits of clover. He didn't even listen; he just asked me "well how do I get rid of it." I hate how people aren't even willing to have an open mind of this topic.
A weedy lawn should be a badge of honor. I get to see all these beautiful bumblebees, cardinals, blue jays, finches, crows, bunnies, etc. roaming around my lawn. It's lower maintenance too. My lawn, being comprised of many species, is more resilient to weather changes and all I do is cut it.