The idea of me doing a tropical gardening diary (perhaps with political overtones?) is inspired by Sybil.
I live in rural South Miami-Dade on a 2.5 acre mini-fruit tree farm, surrounded by what is known locally as The Land of 10,000 nurseries. Chances are, your house, office, and hotel deocr plants were grown here. Down here in the “swamp” plants don’t so much grow as explode. So, we don’t garden so much as beat back the jungle with a machete. Hence the title.
Now, I’ve been to Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Beautiful, but you sure do have some strange green stuff growing there! What’s with all those pine trees? All one color, all the same shape and size. Nearly hypnotized me into a deep trance that could have led to a road accident when I was driving along the Canadian Rockies. ;>) Where I come from, botanical variety is as dizzying as the shades of green and the other colors plants come in.
Today’s subject is GRASS — no not the illegal medicinal dragon plant, the lawn bowling surface. Why not follow me below the fold and let’s get down with the cinch bugs?
If you want to improve the air quality, don’t have a lawn. Especially where I live, since it MUST be chopped down at LEAST once a week during the rainy season (now through October). Unfortunately, the rainy season frustrates the potential mower because daily torrents make the grass too wet, and sometimes temporarily put it out of reach under water.
There’s about 2 acres of lawn to mow on my homestead (figure half an acre taken up by house pad and combined tree trunks, dog pens, and fencing). That means half a day on the tractor. That means 2 gals. of gas. Oil. Lots of sweat (it’s HOT!). And buckets of GatorAde.
I know where the grass clippings go; they’re minced by the mulching blade, fall back to earth, and get used by birds to make nests or recycle themselves by rotting.
But what is my mower doing? It’s polluting the hell out of the planet! Doesn’t bother me or my neighbors (nearest and only lives 1/4 mile away) ’cause the Trade Winds almost always blow out of the ESE, SSE, taking the pollution your way.
How about the rest of you guys in Canada — coughing yet, eh?
I’m killing you with CO, CO2 and other pollutants, that’s what! Here’s the truth:
- A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars.
- Lawn mowers produce several types of pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ozone precursors, and carbon dioxide.
- Other chemicals emitted include half a kilogram of carbon monoxide and several grams of methane, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide and smoke particles.
- Another pollutant caused disproportionately by gas-powered lawn equipment is ozone.
And did I mention NOISE? You can read more about the hazards of owning a gas-powered lawn mower here. And all the details about their noxious products here. Then take a peek at the politicization of gas-engine lawn mowers by Missouri Senator Christopher Bond (R) who
sought to delay the development of federal rules that would clamp down on emissions from lawn mowers and other high-polluting outdoor equipment.
Guess I should convince the spouse to get one of those electric riding mowers used to keep golf courses trim. What are you using?
Let the 4s be with me. It’s raining and I can’t mow.
At a series of garden workshops at our community centre,
sandwiched between “mulch” and “organic vegetables,” was
LAWNS by an expert. I sat there ready to doze off but the guy
was so interesting. Although his job was installing lawns for
people, he was actually anti-lawn and he did his best to
influence people to use alternatives to grass.
Grass (the lawn thing) is America’s biggest crop and Americans
have a love affair with the lawn.
In Victoria we don’t have lawn by-laws so people are putting down
creeping thyme, native plants, even vegetables in their front yards.
Eliminate the lawn mower by eliminating grass and replacing it
with plants native to the area. (I know that it easier said than done.)
My late aunt and uncle lived in Las Vegas where their entire yard was “sown” with gravel — dyed green!
Jarring to my eye, maybe, but eminently practical for a desert clime.
When I used to live in the West and owned a landscaping company we did a lot of Rock Lawns with special planting that had low water requirements. The West is running out of water as the populations are increasing. Colorado is facing a real water shortage in its future. Now I live in lower Alabama and WOW what a difference. It rains so much here! When we moved in the old owners had rocked the front of the house to create a french drain. Beautiful white rock that set off the house. Can’t even find the rock now, grass all growing up through it…..completely gone now, buried under vegetation.
and know what you mean. Our lawn there was usually buried under pine needles. (Did have the BEST veggie garden ever — something virtually impossible here, except in “winter.”)
Where I am now, we brought in truck load after truck load of crushed shell and limerock land fill in order to build up our driveway. For about 8 months it was bright white. Now you’d never know what’s making the circular hump in our yard.
I am super jealous about the mini fruit tree farm thing! Does sound heavenly. I planted a myers lemon that had a key lime grafted onto it. The key lime graft gave up the ghost…..too much grafting I guess, but the lemon is thriving. My first citrus tree owning experience in my life. It’s just a bitty thing too and already has two lemons on it this year. Life is amazing even if these fucking Republicans in it aren’t!
were what we grew before Hurr. Andrew blew every last one of ’em into the Everglades — thank god! Developed a phototrophic skin allergy to their essential oil and couldn’t touch the things. Some growers have/had it so bad that they couldn’t even go outside when fruit was on the trees, which is practically year round.
Now we grow lychees, longans, tangelos, and 2 types of tangerines.
As a kid, I lived in your town (Sherman Oaks) and other parts of So, Cal. and remember the lemon groves there. Heavenly scent!
It is easy. Just find out what grew there before development started, find out about native plants.
If it was sand and cactus, I guess you would not want
sand in your front yard, so use gravel.