Everyone loves a lush lawn; but are they as green as they look?
Everyone loves a lush lawn—but they’re not as green as they look, discovers Peter Malcouronne. Here’s how to let your grass grow greener
The ubiquitous lawn is, relatively speaking, just a pup. The first lawnmower was patented in 1830: an ingenious invention that put lawns within reach of those unable to afford an entire village of scythe-wielding peasants.
“The lawn owner can claim to be monarch of all he surveys,” intones Australian writer Peter Macinnis in The Lawn: A Social History, which presents a compelling case against its subject. “‘I am rich,’ these lawns tell the world, ‘so I can afford to waste the world’s resources.’”
The cost of tending the 30 million acres of lawn in the US is $55 billion a year—higher than the annual GDP of half the world’s countries. Lawns suck up half of the water US homes use, and each year they’re drowned with 30,000 tonnes of pesticide and $8 billion of fertiliser (a leading cause of nitrous oxide emissions, the greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2). Lawnmowers consume 2,500 million litres of fuel annually, with an estimated 75 million litres splashing and leeching into the soil. A Swedish government study found that one hour’s lawnmowing is equivalent to a 160-kilometre car journey.
There are alternatives. To a Kiwi bloke, the ultimate act of defiance is to let nature take its course. An old-fashioned meadow—a wilderness of bees and bugs, critters and crawlies—will eventually emerge. Think of how much more aesthetically appealing the motorway median strips became once Transit planted wild flowers.
If meadows aren’t your thing, how about a forest? One acre of trees absorbs the CO2 produced by driving 40,000 kilometres every year, and urban trees filter out the airborne particulates linked to hundreds of premature deaths each year. They also look nice.
But if we’re honest, so does a lush lawn. It’s a love bred into us: sociobiologist EO Wilson reckons we’ve had a thing for grass since Eve strolled the African savannah. Moreover, it’s a patriotic necessity for every home to have a 22-yard strip for backyard cricket.
Even so, there’s no need for a monocultural, ethnically cleansed lawn. Native grasses grow to about half a metre and don’t require mowing or extra watering. They come in many hues besides Desert Road burnt-brown: from blue-grey to bronze, glorious green to gold. For the pitch itself, take a Darwinian multiculturalist approach. If clover, dandelions or, heaven forbid, kikuyu take hold—grasses well-adapted to humidity and not requiring irrigation—live and let live.
Once you’re liberated from perfection, the need to poison every interloper passes. If you find yourself having a Dalek moment (exterminate! exterminate!) choose organic corn gluten-meal herbicide. If you absolutely must water your lawn, use a sprinkler with a decent spray-head that simulates a soft, steady rain. Don’t water between 10am and 4pm, when two-thirds of the water will evaporate, and don’t water the footpath or garage wall. They don’t need it.
And what of mowing? Well, there’s Husqvarna’s magical $4,000 solar-powered Automower that strolls about a lawn unattended, collisionsensors keeping it safe from trees, trucks and precipitous cliffs (unfortunately, you’ll have to import it from Sweden).
Another green option is Gaiam’s solar-powered Mulching Mower: basically a modified Black & Decker mower with a solar-charger on top. It’s $1,000-plus, and you’ll need to order it from the US.
There are numerous electric flymo-style mowers available off the rack; Wrights Outdoor Equipment Centre recommends the Victa Enviromower ($659, www.wrightsoutdoor.co.nz). A 12-hour recharge gives you 80 minutes of mowing.
However, there’s nothing better—for your health, for the environment, for neighbourhood serenity—than the old-school human-powered reel mower. You get a decent workout and, so long as the blades are kept sharp and the lawn relatively twig-free, a superior cut. Trade Me abounds with venerable old bangers but if you prefer to buy new, the New Zealandmade LawnMaster LH400 is well-priced ($149 from www. steelfort.co.nz) and comes with a two-year warranty.
Whatever model you choose, mow ‘high’—that is, leave between three and five centimetres of grass. A longer cut discourages weeds, pests and thatch, which in turn ensures your grass is healthier. And don’t use a catcher: lawn clippings deliver a nutrient payload the equal of fertiliser.
Oh. And make sure you leave a clump of ‘hay’ about three metres out from the stumps, bang in front. It makes a Vettori out of even the most inept backyard trundler.
Additional research by Matt and Alex Shapcott
