U gotta have a green lawn! its another conspiracy!!

Many places on this Planet have naturally occuring green grass.........but a WHOLE lot of other places, such as the American southwest do not.........
I have a theory that Chemical fertalizer companys have worked VERY hard at PUSHING into peoples minds that having a green lawn is the all American DREAM!
maybe in the beginnings of creating said ground fertalizers, they were SUPPOSED to be about farming and growing more abundant crops more effeciantly.......
Somewhere along the line via magazine adds, movies & TV...the avaredge person got the IDEA STUCK IN THERE HEADS that we all MUST have a green lawn!
I think the fertalizer companys pumped ALOT of money into creating this belief! "Keep UP with the Jones's! Our lawn is NICE and GREEN and weed free!"
I shall also mention that the exaust fumes from lawnmowers dirtys up the air....so lets all go mow our chemically fertalized yard!!!! Make the teenaged boys do it! Lets have a heart attack mowing the lawn on hot summer days! YEY!~~~~~how painfully stupid!
We all now KNOW the terrible effects this type of fertalization has had on our water supply in general, as well as the poisonous aftereffects to Mother Earth herself.
I swear this is a big conspiracy of chemicall fertalizer corporations......to make money of course.
People NEED to wake up and ZEROSCAPE..ie:plant things natural to YOUR enviroment...throw out the lawnmower.....STOP using this crappy fertalizer poisoning the planet!
The fertalizer companys have made ENOUGH money allready on this GREEN LAWN idea.
2 months back I was down in Mexico.....and to my HORROR the more affluent Mexican homes were sporting this stupid green lawn.....this IDEA that a green lawn means your as cool as the Jones's truly NEEDS to be a thing of the past! let it die people! let your non naturally occuring LAWN die!

And thats all I have to say about that.....
Maybe you have something to add?

[Edited on 8-5-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

[Edited on 9-5-2004 by John bull 1]

more ski slopes in Utah is my guess?

Having thrown a few pallets of sod, I agree with you.
Let nature have her way. And keep the grass greener on the other side of the fence.

G

If you don't have very many trees in your area and it rains a lot, in your area, then grass is a good thing. Why? Erosion. Without trees or grass (plants in general), rain will slowly (sometimes quickly) erode your land and can/will create a big muddy mess. Fertilizer may be classified as either organic or inorganic. The organic stuff usually being made from some type of manure or other dead organic matter.

Of course, grass is usually pointless in a dry area, unless you have a farm. Much water is wasted in areas that are dry because of people's need for grass. But grass can also be a good thing a dry area. Why? Because it keeps dust from being kicked up from wind. And we all know how irritating dust can be. You can still get windblown dust from other places, but the grass does help keep down the amount.

Sure, putting the grass in an area where there wasn't, isn't natural. But, human comfort outweighs the needs of mother nature. Anyways, mother nature has and will always be more powerful than man. If mother nature wants change, she will have it - the earth balances itself. So, I don't think planting grass is a problem.

Also, there are many types of grass, and depending on the type, it doesn't have to be green to be considered healthy (although most grass that people do know, is green). Most grass in America is usually a green type, so if the grass is yellow (or any other color but green), it means that it isn't getting what it requires. And most of the time, it is another color because of a lack of nitrogen (or water in general - but if you water it and it still stays another color, then nitrogen). So, all you would need is a nitrogen based fertilizer (it usually only has a few other elements or compounds) - which isn't harmful to a water supply. They have "ground water safe" fertilizers.

Anyways, a lot of ground water isn't naturally fresh to begin with. It can have many harmful elements and compounds mixed in with it naturally. And depending on how deep your ground water level is, and the type and amount of fertilizer used, by the time it reaches ground water (if it reaches it), it is usually quite filtered.

Peace.




[Edited on 5-7-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

TRG...

I'm with you. I live in the southwestern corner of Indian Territory. If we have a blessedly waterous spring, then we get green grass as late as mid-July. If not, it's already turning brown by end of June.

Guess what? I take what I get. It's bull-hockey to waste precious water on grass. This was the "grasslands" of old. Trees could not even get a start here because the grasses were so thick they would choke out the yearlings.

The grass comes back every year! go figure! You are absolutely correct that the "green grass lawn" is perpetuated by the corporate gnomes of the world...

they own ALL our lawns!

In Boston my grass only stays alive for 2 months. In the winter it's too cold and wet but in the summer it's too hot and dry. I am giving up on my lawn. No sense of letting anyone control me...if you know what I mean

VALHALL I am smiling@you!

Anyway~~~~~
Utah's mountains are the baseline of the Rockies....lots and LOTS of trees in the mountains! and brush and bushes and planty of natural ground cover... alas...the old growth trees dying off in mass amounts......due to global warming it seams.......in NO WAY are green lawns helping with erosion here..plenty of natural wildflowers and other LOCAL flora~~~~

The valleys are desert in nature, and I for one think they should BE as such...but you should SEE all the lawns sucking up our dwindeling drinking supply!

We have alot of dams and lakes in this state.....but SHOULD this water be used for LAWNS? gimme a break! The chemical fertalizer companys would have you BELIEVE that they should. dorks.

And I am NOT even going to go off about Phoenix AZ!!! let it be said
"ITS WRONG WRONG WRONG! shame on them! give UP the grass folks!!
(You KNOW what kind I mean! )




[Edited on 15-5-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

TRG,

It is my understanding that the masses that moved to areas like Phoenix because they were told to "move to Arizona" due to the dry climate which would help their asthma and other respiratory ailments now suffer as much as they did in other parts of the country due to the excess watering that occurs around Phoenix. The climate has actually been affected significantly due to the golf courses and housing additions that participate in excessive watering.

Yeah, that makes sense. Move to the desert and water 24 hours a day. Why not just stay in New Jersey?

Valhall, wouldn't you attribute that more to air pollution than anything else? Smog is usually worse in dry areas because there isn't as much rain water to combine with the pollution, which, in effect, rids most of it from the air - take LA as an example. I'm from Salt Lake City and when we would go through bouts of no rain, the smog would become horrendous, for long periods of time, until we received rain again.

We came out of a drought recently here in Virginia (where I now live - DC metro area) and the air has been very nice (besides the recent spring pollen outburst = ), because of all the rain we have been getting - it gets rid of most of the pollution that builds up in the air. The smog here is usually very bad, but because of the rain, I can't complain. :-D

[Edited on 5-8-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

YEY! Zuzubar! YEY! thank you for benifitting ALL of mankind in your act of letting the GREEN LAWN die.
It shall appear of its own accord when the weather suits it in your area for sure!
To )@&(*(@Q*$# with keeping up APPEARANCES strongly suggested by Chemical fertalizer companys! somehow these POWER mongurs have convinced us its the COOl thing to do, to poison our water, poison the soil and pollute the air! are we looking for ways to cut back on fossil fuel use? KILL your lawnmower!

Its a stupid CONSPIRACY to get us to pay higher water bills among OTHER costs!

I am gunna vote you some points for that act of kindness to Mother Earth!

I wish I had the names of the Chemical fertalizer companys in my head but I dont.......ROUNDUP is being used in South America to kill off the coa coa plants(coc aine) and the people down there are suffering from vast anounts of NEW skin diseases..new to THEM that is.......these chemicalls are DEADLY and need to be stopped! STOP with the GREEN LAWN first, and do your part!!!!! why let big buisness folks dictate to us that we NEED this type of a LOOK in our own yards? Kill the lawnmowers....plant lavender....if it grows in your area. PLANT things that GROW naturally to your area SHEEESH!!!

[Edited on 15-5-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

Sorry to say this, but your ... style ... of typing is a tad difficult to read. It seems convoluted and thrown together; like a brain storming session. You seem like a very interesting and smart female *; let the smart attribute shine WITH the interesting (interesting as in your style of writting) side! I bet I would have enjoyed reading this thread if it was a bit more, I don't know, legible?

*Based on your style, I can't tell if you're a woman or a young female AOLer.

If any offense was taken, I am truly sorry ...

[Edited on 5/8/04 by xenophanes85]

It has been a long standing idea in California to use Pro-Biotic solutions to retain moisture in the soil. While some people actually painted their lawns green with die, others actually found ways to go from brown to green naturally.

A certain addition of bacteria keeps lawns green without expensive petro-chemicals. The idea is to open up clay like soils and other kinds of soils to retain water, and to follow techniques to maintain greater life supportive biology. Earthworms are universally a good idea once soils condition through better growing techniques.

For example:

seattlepi.nwsource.com...

www.beingalivela.org...

www.whodidyourgarden.com...

California is always on the cutting edge, but thats just something I believe, not something I know for a fact.....many radical and free thinking people there from my experiance.....Pro-Biotc looks like a much better product than the norm so readily available on shelves..... I wonder at the cost comparisons, shipping ect.........LMAO@ painting lawns green! ya see just HOW important this concept has become??

Colorado is a leader in the Zeroscape movement FYI. I wish this was the case for all the Southwest

xenophene...WHAT differance does it make how old I am?.....I am of the belief the DIFFERNACE that matters in life is the ability to THINK and to DO something with those ideas....and yes my mind DOES work VERY much like a brain storming session, and my typing style follows suit...if your a typing teacher just give me a D- and move on~~~ Or better yet, why dont you allow for your mind to STRETCH a bit, or does that HURT? I have better things to consider than IMPRESSING U with my comand of a keyboard...... or LACK thereof....I took a WHOLE week of typing classes @ Snipee's Typee's and all I HAD to do was clean the bathroom!

[Edited on 8-5-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

Ok I had my time out.....I am sorry Xenophenes for going a tad rabid there, but I am offended when I THINK someone might be politely calling me a child... yes your VERY smart, I can see you didnt learn to type where I did thank goodness! Snipee was mean & had NO sense of humor.

[Edited on 9-5-2004 by theRiverGoddess]

Originally posted by theRiverGoddess
xenophene...WHAT differance does it make how old I am?.....I am of the belief the DIFFERNACE that matters in life is the ability to THINK and to DO something with those ideas....and yes my mind DOES work VERY much like a brain storming session, and my typing style follows suit...if your a typing teacher just give me a D- and move on~~~ Or better yet, why dont you allow for your mind to STRETCH a bit, or does that HURT? I have better things to consider than IMPRESSING U with my comand of a keyboard......

or LACK thereof....I took a WHOLE week of typing classes @ Snipee's Typee's and all I HAD to do was clean the bathroom!

A. You mispelt his name.
B. Xenophane is a guy who can stretch his brain.
C. Were not here to bash each others brains out, he gave you a compliment but just asked a question about your typing style, you dont have to start a thermonuclear flame war.
D. No one asked to be impressed, I think they just want to provide a better response to your theory but are thrown off by the typing style. I can read it but not everyones me.

I think thats a 10 min time out for both of you.

There is a good reason to mow the yard. Tall grass and brush is a fire danger when it gets dry. Some people are crazy about their yard. I don't water, don't fertilize, don't bag the clippings, and I don't care about weeds. I don't bag many leaves either.

[Edited on 9-5-2004 by heatratio]

Who said anything about not mowing the yard? We're talking about the stupid practice of watering a lawn when you live in a desert.

My 2 pennies:

Nature knows best.

The neighborhood sheep who mow their lawns on a bi-weekly basis, causing noise pollution in the process and spend all weekend pouring poisons and crap all over mother natures bounty, either killing it completely (turning away the fae forever), or trying to force it into some unnatural herculean mega-lawn piss me off no end.

And besides, you guys know how the sheep are..usually it's some semi-retired or elderly arsehole too.

Anybody ever notice how when one person starts up his lawnmower, it's only a matter of minutes before another one somewhere else starts up too ? Talk about sheeplike behavior !

Originally posted by Valhall
Who said anything about not mowing the yard? We're talking about the stupid practice of watering a lawn when you live in a desert.

lol
My opinion is if you want a green lawn work to get one...

Ever thought that you hear them crank up at about the same time is because Saturday morning is the best time to cut the grass? What, do you think they sit around listening for the first one to fire up? Jeesh!

And for the rest of you whining, lazy teens crying about the environment as if you have a clue, grass is a good thing, it absorbs more carbon dioxide and creates more oxygen than does a plot of trees the same size. On top of that, it is better for soil conservation than are trees. People plants trees all over the blithering place unconcerned if the tree is native to the area because they are told by eco-freaks that trees are good, and here you lazy degenerates are, crying about a tradition that has made America strong by giving teens exercise and a way to make spending cash.
Now, you little excuse making brats get out there and mow that lawn! Make you parents proud!!!!

And you, Valhall, I'm telling springer that his wife is slipping to the pinko side and filling kids' heads with all kinds of nonsense!

*Man, am I going to get flamed six ways from Sunday on this one!!*



[Edited on 9-5-2004 by Thomas Crowne]

Thats because its factually incorrect TC, trees are better for soil than grasses and shallow-rooted plants. Better still is the combination of both. If you remove the trees you open the soil up to erosion and allow the water table to rise increasing salinity. As for grass producing more oxygen than a similar biomass of trees, I'd be interested to see statistics as I've never heard of that one.

The River Goddess, it is not a conspiracy, it is called pride of ownership. I have owned my SoCal home for 5 1/2 years now and I do all my landscaping. For me, it is a time to get away from everything else.

I like the way my GREEN lawn looks because I maintain it myself. I do not use any chemicals on my lawn, but it is still green.

The green lawn conspiracy? Hah! It is just us homeowners concerned with how our property looks. To all of those complaining: when you own your own home, let's see if you let your lawn die.