I think it’s been pretty well established that lawns are environmentally unfriendly. They require massive amounts of water. Fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides get carried off by rain (or overwatering!) into storm drains and streams and can contaminate wildlife and environments many miles away. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, homeowners in the U.S. use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops.
Worse: According to a 2013 study, “Detection of herbicides in the urine of pet dogs following home lawn chemical application,” the detection of lawn chemicals in the urine of pet dogs was widespread – and that lawn chemicals persisted on the grass for at least 48 hours after application, and even longer under certain environmental conditions. It’s been established that exposure to herbicide-treated lawns has been associated with significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs.
And yet: What’s better than playing with a dog, or watching a dog or dogs play by themselves, on a blanket of nice thick green grass? Especially in the heat of summer?
I just read an article in the New York Times (“America’s Killer Lawns”) that provided some helpful ways to make lawns less toxic.
No beautiful lush lawn at my house…
For what it’s worth, I’ve never had a gorgeous lawn – probably because I’ve never engaged the services of a lawn-care company, not used fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides on my grass. I wouldn’t feel good about using any of those things, even though I’ve certainly enjoyed playing or exercising on publics lawns and sports fields that almost surely DO use those chemicals. Every home I’ve lived in as an adult came with an existing crappy lawn, one containing as many weeds as grass species (my husband insists on using air-quotes when discussing our “lawn,” because he doesn’t think the collection of plants that dwell in front of our home constitutes turf in any way). At our last home, we stopped watering our “lawn” during the worst summer of California’s drought, and neither restarted nor, I have to admit, replaced it with alternative landscaping. It looked perfectly Dust Bowl-esque in the summer, just awful.
Like our past homes, our current home came with a front yard featuring lots of grass, as well as lots of other weeds and clover. It’s partially sun-baked and partially deeply shaded. Some species of plants thrive in one location and not in the others. But for the two summers we’ve lived here so far, we have kept it watered and mowed, and both the dogs and I really enjoy it, even if it’s not thick or lush or smooth or even. It’s cooler and softer than anything else outside in the summer! Also, it covers a wide swath of space; if we removed it, I have no idea what we’d plant or how we’d begin to landscape or hardscape it. For now, anyway, it is what it is.
Lately, I’ve been watching videos of a trainer I know working her young puppy on a smooth green carpet of permanently installed artificial turf outside her home and have been coveting a training space like that. But I don’t know that I would ever pull the trigger on an expense like that, either.
What about you? Do you maintain a lawn for your family’s enjoyment? Or do you live lawn-free? If you have given up grass, do you miss it?
I live in an old house with an old lawn. We are environmental devotees (you can say freaks if you like) who have not used any chemicals for 30 years or more. We have used organic fertilizer, but only a couple of times; we’ve top-dressed the grass with a little compost, but only a couple of times (since we moved in, 1985) We mow. Our dogs and we enjoy the grass. I would say our 2 acres of grass, with some “weeds” or native plants among it, are doing a lot for the environment here in floody Houston, with our rich organic soil doing its part to soak up rain as it falls and take some of the pressure off the bayous. It’s not the lawns, or the grass, that are the problem; it’s the chemicals.
After yrs of having 2 Akitas at a time, play worn patches of grass, I finally have the answer…one dog! One is so much gentler on the lawn, no kicking up clods in rough play, or wear patterns created by chasing.
https://www.landscapediscount.com/GrassProtecta-s/1930.htm
This product is great, just overseed & water lawn to maintain.
Used to have a lawn service but back several years got a pay cut and couldn’t afford it. Now seeing all the lawyer ads regarding lawn chemicals, it scares me. I have the worst lawn in the neighborhood, weeds of every variety, it doesn’t bother me but my neighbors hate me and call the authorities at every opportunity.
We put in good quality artificial lawn, but we bought remnants and did it ourselves. We don’t have a huge yard and we rent. The ground doesn’t need to be perfectly flat, we put down weed cloth under it. It’s been great and our dog loves it!
I did get lucky and find someone selling zeolite granules (to put in the lawn) on Craigslist. In retrospect I don’t think you need them. Just order some Wysiwash and use that on the regular. It’s safe for your plants and your pets.
If you can find a place local to you that is selling their remnants it’s a great way to save $$$.
Has anyone ever considered planting white clover in their yards? It is considered a “weed”, and needs little care. A yearly natural fertilizer, occasional water, and “poof” a beautiful area to play with your dogs, It does not produce “grass stains”, does not have to be mowed, and when in bloom, bees are more than willing to move to another flower if you are sharing time on it with them. Same applies to your dogs. The only problem I’ve encountered is that my dogs like to snap at bees and have occasionally (but rarely) been stung.
I love the clover in my lawn. Last summer, a neighbor asked why my lawn stayed so green during the hot, dry summer months. Clover, of course! Plus, I think it’s a natural source of nitrogen. Also read that grass seed sellers are starting to add clover to their mix. Love that it attracts bees, too!
Our lawn does not get watered. We use no fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides.
So why do you say it is a :guilty” pleasure?
I do water the lawn in the front of our house. We’ve let the back area go: TOO much sun beating down on it all day. I water the front lawn with probably half (or less) of the water it really needs, and I think I still put more water on it than the rest of our household uses for everything combined. I water enough to keep it mostly greenish but it would look way better and be way thicker if it got twice as much water. Here in northern California, the summers are long, hot and VERY dry, so I feel guilty about the water i already use. We do have a greywater “system” (pipes, lol) that drain the water from the clothes washer out to one area of the lawn. If we ever renovate the bathroom (this house has no bathtub! unacceptable!) I want to install a system for being able to send the bath/shower/sink grey water onto the lawn, too.
As to the clover comments: Yes, I love the patches of clover that make up part of our lawn!
Clover also feeds the lawn before the extensive use of artificial fertilizers lawn seed used to include clover seed as it produces nitrogen for the lawn Have always fertilized my weed lawn with clover
You would be one of the lucky ones then
We live in AZ and converted the front yard to rock and vegetable gardens. Our back yard has a small amount of “lawn” that receives minimal water and no chemicals. It is basically what Bermuda grass survives on rain alone which thankfully, is a nice covering so it’s cool for the dogs to walk on in the summer.
I like Bermuda grass better than dirt It’s so tough! And it responds beautifully to small amounts of water.
So I’m not alone. We steel need practise. My rugs prove it 🙂
We have 3 Golden Retrievers who love to play in our backyard. Although it never looked great, with lots of weeds and torn up areas scattered throughout, we could live with that. But after 20 years of muddy dogs for days after we had any rain at all, we had finally had enough. We decided to bite the bullet and pay the money for artificial turf. And I have to say that 3 years later we feel like it was the best money we ever spent. We have no more worries about chemicals on the lawn, and the dogs can play to their hearts’ content no matter what the weather or season. It truly has been life altering! I know not everyone has the luxury of spending the money. But if you do, I don’t think you will regret it. The only caveat is that the turf does get hot in the mid-day summer sun. Our grown dogs don’t seem to mind it at all – and in fact, they like to sunbathe on it!! But it is hot for us to walk on without shoes, and when we got a puppy shortly after the installation, in mid-July, we were very careful to keep him in the shaded areas during the hot part of the day.
Is it allowed to say the manufacturer of yours? I’ve done a little bit of reading and as I remember there can be issues relating to odor and/or the dogs urinating on it. It’s been a long time since I looked into it.
We have synlawn in our backyard. We had it installed 13 years ago and it still looks perfect. So nice for our rainy Portland weather. No muddy feet in the house from our backyard.
I would love to know the brand or whatever info you could give on what you bought!
@Cathy Thanks! You saved me some time because I was preparing to write exactly what you just did! I have an Irish and a Gordon Setter who probably have as much energy as your three Golden Retrievers (wanna come over and play?), so we have similar usage.
As to the other questions, yes, it does get hot in the summer, which can be an issue, especially here in southern California. I have two 10×10 canopies up throughout the summer, which helps during the hottest times. But for all the other reasons Cathy gave, I recommend it highly. It will last 15-25 years, so it pays for itself very quickly, plus there are no costs for water, fertilizer, or lawnmowers/gardeners. And no maintenance. I tried for years to have a decent lawn, once with seed, and twice with sod. Weeds and foxtails defeated me every time.
The only drawback can be the urine smell. If that happens, you can wash it with soap and/or vinegar, or use various specialized cleansers, but if you hose off the spots regularly, it’s not a problem.
Here’s another thought. I agree it would be costly up front for Nancy, but I’m green with envy (ha ha) over the size of her property! However, since she’s also in California, she might want to check for a turf removal rebate program. My utilities company paid $3.00 per square foot, which went a long way towards covering the expense. For those who asked, I used Artificial Grass Liquidators here in the L.A. area. They have discounts on recycled turf from football or soccer fields too, which is something to check out in your area if you’re in the market.
Oops like to correct you on the lawn issue .most people think their lawn should look better then their neighbours
Us country folks don”t mind the dandelions if it is to dry to bad crops have to wait for rain to and might get us out of a few lawnmower trips