Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn? (flowers, lawns, landscape)
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Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn, instead of grass?
What is the downside?
They are just as green as grass, they probably don't need much watering. OK, they don't have the uniform geometric shape as grass, but that should be OK.
So I'm thinking on leaving the weeds that completely took over my backyard, and maybe cut them short once in the while.
In the California drought, the traditional grass seems to be very environmentally unfriendly, and it may require more maintenance (my time) too.
What is wrong with weeds versus grass? Why do people look at weeds as pest or something bad.
Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn, instead of grass?
What is the downside?
They are just as green as grass, they probably don't need much watering. OK, they don't have the uniform geometric shape as grass, but that should be OK.
So I'm thinking on leaving the weeds that completely took over my backyard, and maybe cut them short once in the while.
In the California drought, the traditional grass seems to be very environmentally unfriendly, and it may require more maintenance (my time) too.
What is wrong with weeds versus grass? Why do people look at weeds as pest or something bad.
One downside is that many if not most of them are annuals and will die within a year. If you wanted them to keep reseeding, you'd have to let them grow very tall, then flower and fade. And they're not all uniform, so your property would look a real mess. It would look like a vacant lot. Other posters will offer suggestions for low maintenance groundcovers for CA lawns, but just letting field weeds take over sounds like an awful decision that you'll regret.
Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn, instead of grass?
What is the downside?
They are just as green as grass, they probably don't need much watering. OK, they don't have the uniform geometric shape as grass, but that should be OK.
So I'm thinking on leaving the weeds that completely took over my backyard, and maybe cut them short once in the while.
In the California drought, the traditional grass seems to be very environmentally unfriendly, and it may require more maintenance (my time) too.
What is wrong with weeds versus grass? Why do people look at weeds as pest or something bad.
Another downside is if you plan on having grass anywhere near the weeds as the wind becomes your enemy along with the birds who in hunting for food may drop a seed and the next thing you know, you have a lawn of weeds. That said that could also happen if you had a neighbor who didn't tend to his lawn and there would be little you could do, other than fight the battle of the weeds.
Nothing wrong with weeds if you didnt live in an urban environment.
Problem with allowing weeds to take over is...yup more weeds for everyone in your area.
Also understand a good majority of weeds are now non native species which allows them to bypass the environmental controls which keep native weeds in check. (Dallisgrass)
Depending on how much area you have I suggest laying down a mulch bark or rock.
Thought you Bayarea people where all about being good neighbors and stewards of your communities. If that's the case don't let your property become a weed infested pigstye.
Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn, instead of grass?
What is the downside?
They are just as green as grass, they probably don't need much watering. OK, they don't have the uniform geometric shape as grass, but that should be OK.
So I'm thinking on leaving the weeds that completely took over my backyard, and maybe cut them short once in the while.
In the California drought, the traditional grass seems to be very environmentally unfriendly, and it may require more maintenance (my time) too.
What is wrong with weeds versus grass? Why do people look at weeds as pest or something bad.
Critters. We attracted lot of critters. Worst of which is garter snakes heading for the backdoor. There was no upside. Even though the so called weeds, which was rather nice, full of wild flowers was a half an acre away, the critters nonetheless decided to expand their territory into our "space." A major transgression.
One of our dogs was great at hunting and bought all his kills into the house. A dead baby possum in the middle of his bed. Not to mention a few dead rats he was storing. The upside was that a hawk also moved in on one of the huge trees and did some control but he was outpaced by critters who were moving in on our space. No more natural nature wonder in the back. All mowed down. No critters.
Letting natural weeds grow in the backyard lawn, instead of grass?
What is the downside?
They are just as green as grass, they probably don't need much watering. OK, they don't have the uniform geometric shape as grass, but that should be OK.
So I'm thinking on leaving the weeds that completely took over my backyard, and maybe cut them short once in the while.
In the California drought, the traditional grass seems to be very environmentally unfriendly, and it may require more maintenance (my time) too.
What is wrong with weeds versus grass? Why do people look at weeds as pest or something bad.
You are in a drought. There's nothing wrong with weeds. Yes, they may migrate over to
your neighbors. I attempted to seed our lawn here where most people take great
care of their lawns. We had it landscaped and that looks great. Then we quit because it was getting
too expensive to burn bags of seed. We have a small
dog and he runs in the front and the backyard. His friends drop by when they're on a leashed walk.
We don't care. I mow the weeds and rake the leaves and tend to mulching where needed. The house is still pretty and if I need green, there's always nitrogen.
I let weeds grow all over my backyard. Luckily a lot of them are native. Grass is pretty good for holding the soil in and making a uniform surface so soil doesn't erode when it rains.
What I'd suggest is over-seeding with some native grasses. Then you can mow it every once in a while and it will look like a green carpet. The native grasses may be more drought tolerant than regular lawn grass.
The link here doesn't seem to work, but they list the grasses on the left menu:
Do an internet search for the grasses by name, or California native grass seed...and you will find places where you can buy grass seed in bulk. Best of luck. I'd say go for it with the weeds. Make sure to still mow occasionally, and add some native grass seed every once in a while.
I think grass is a weed. Especially Bermuda grass, it gets into everything.
Grass is an American/British thing. Most other places don't do grass. I lived in eastern Europe and they don't do grass at all. They just go out a couple of times during the growing season, whack down all the greenery whatever is growing, and they're done. Looks fine.
I'm not a fan of the great expanses of grass that America seems so obsessed with.
I maintain lawns for a living, hedges too, but I am basically hired to mow lawns. My toughest lawns are those that are up to 50% weedy, they stay green when it is wet and dry out when it is summer, but I keep it mowed short on a regular basis and it keeps seeds from developing while making the weeds want to regrow. They are also more drought tolerant. My best lawn is 50% white clover, stays green, bees love it and it self fertilizes. Since I keep it short, it does not go to seed, so I reseed it with clover every few years. Clovers make good short lawns.
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we did that
