Why We Should Eliminate Lawns -You Can Be In Clover

Category: Xeriscaping, Grow Lawnless, Butterfly and Habitat Gardens | Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:49 pm

-The EPA estimates that the amount of pollution emitted by a lawnmower operating for one hour is equivalent to the amount of pollution emitted by a car driven for approximately 20 miles.

-30 to 60 percent of urban fresh water is used for watering lawns (depending on city).

-$5,250,000,000 is spent on fossil fuel-derived fertilizers for U.S. lawns.

-67,000,000 pounds of synthetic pesticides are used on U.S. lawns.

-60,000 to 70,000 severe accidents result from lawnmowers.

-580,000,000 gallons of gasoline are used for lawnmowers.

-$25,000,000,000 is spent for the lawn care industry.

-$700,000,000 is spent for pesticides for U.S. lawns.

-20,000,000 acres are planted in residential lawns.

I had inherited a nasty and neglected backyard lawn full of weeds and big bald spots.if you have a fenced in yard, are not close to neighbors who might get a stray clover or 2, and have no HOA to mess with your head, you can replace the lawn or parts of it with white dutch clover. It contains an enormous amount of nitrogen, fertilizes the soil, it's used by many stewards of the environment as cover crops and tilled under, or left as a sweet-smelling lawn substitute.

I have substituted most of the backyard grass and weeds with clover in 3 fall seasons (zone 8)of broadcasting the seeds thickly once a month til spring. No fighting the lawn, just ignoring it. No work - just fling handfuls of the seeds around just before a rain. i don't scratch it in, i just walk over it. The white clover reaches only about 8 inches high. i cut it with a reel mower (because i love the smell and sometimes i cut more often just to smell it!) you leave the cuttings and they mulch and fertilize your soil some more.

The sown seeds quickly produce thick green cover and eliminates most of your weeds, and eventually naturally takes over the needier lawn grass. Survival of the fittest. The nitrogen feeds shrubs and flowers planted around and in it, as well. It's a soft airy cover that does not choke out or compete with shrubs or perrennials, in my experience. Most grass seed mixes have clover seed in it as a filler.It's tough, needs no care, goes through droughts then springs back with just rain showers. mine in zone 8 doesn't go brown with the grass. If sown tightly, in a few days after a rain the seedlings are already happening. The mature clover has pretty shamrock type leaves and grows in "drifts" and is soft and cool to walk on.

if you live in a developed area with no fences, live with Lawn Police, or have lots of deer and and don't like occasional rabbits, or bees, this is probably not the lawn for you - it's also specially grown as wildlife forage by landowners. of all the clovers, the dutch white variety is best for lawns. It needs no watering, fertilizer or care whatsoever. I haven't found it to be invasive or wandering off beyond my fence areas or other boundaries.

Last edited: Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:08 pm

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