• DagonPie@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    64
    ·
    1 year ago

    I started doing clover in my yard a year ago and there are so many bees and butterflies now. My neighbor was like “why are you doing that yo your grass??? The previous owners took so long to make that yard look nice”

    • astraeus@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      49
      ·
      1 year ago

      “Why are you destroying your yard with an abundance of bees and butterflies? This isn’t fantasy land we need nothing but grass here to look nice”

      • DagonPie@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        29
        ·
        1 year ago

        When I moved in the grass was pretty close to the picture in the meme. I liked it at first but then I realized how expensive it was going to be to upkeep and how bad it is for the local ecosystem. I have successfully undone most of that work literally just by planting clover and not mowing down to the bone.

        • astraeus@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          21
          ·
          1 year ago

          If only everyone realized that grass is just a weed and not worth the maintenance and effort we put into it, it’s sad how ubiquitous it is in some places

      • DagonPie@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        1 year ago

        I dont really do anything about weeds anymore. I let the dandelions do their things. I have some patches of crab grass but it doesnt bother me. The clover doesnt grow very high but when it is full bloom you can tell when it is walked on in high traffic. We have wild turkeys too and they will roost on the clover and it leaves imprints in the ground but it springs back after a day or so.

        • WillyWonksters@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          10
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I couldn’t find a source for this, but I heard that we were convinced to think of dandelions as weeds by the makers of a herbicide so that we would accept the collateral damage.

          • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            11
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Dandelions were brought to North America as a food crop. We can eat every part of the plant. They’re an invasive species, but not what I would consider a weed.

            • Catsrules@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              12
              ·
              1 year ago

              Anything can be a weed. All a weed is it a plant growing is the wrong spot in the eyes of a human.

              • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                8
                ·
                1 year ago

                Agreed, but Monsanto would love us to believe all kinds of plants are weeds so we buy their chemicals.

                A field of dandelion flowers is beautiful.

                • kbotc@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  And also, a field of invasive species that drove out the native plants… Just saying.

          • DagonPie@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            Theres only one plant in my yard i consider a “weed”. It grows almost like a carrot or a parsnip. But it grows a long thick root straight down and has a small leafy part on top. And when you pluck them out it leaves a cone shaped hole. No clue what it is but ive been calling it a tuber lol

          • AngryMulbear@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            Lol, you don’t put Roundup on your lawn unless you don’t want a lawn anymore.

            2,4D is the stuff that kills “weeds” but not grass.

      • AngryMulbear@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        1 year ago

        Anecdotal evidence. There’s a patch of grass on my land next to a public mailbox that I struggled for years to keep from being a mud pit.

        Haven’t seen a bare patch of dirt since I planted the clover. Holds up great to foot traffic.

      • IMALlama@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        We have a chemical free yard that I also plant clover in. The high traffic areas are more clover than grass, which makes me think it holds up better. The clover also turns green earlier in the spring and stays green longer of we’re having a dry spell in the summer. Clover helps keep the grass happy and the pair seem to do a decent job keeping dandelions down, but we have them in our yard too. They don’t bother me at all personally and our kids like them. Thistles are not that common in our yard, but when they pop up I’ll spot treat them since they’re painful to walk on.