The Meaning And Method Of Lawns

If I asked you what’s the most grown crop in the United States? What would you say? Perhaps you’d say maize or maybe wheat? Anything else? It’s grass. Simple. Boring. Green. Grass. That’s odd, considering we can’t eat grass (well, we can, but we shouldn’t!) In fact, over the past thirty years or so, since many fled the cities to start suburban life, the humble lawn and a crop of grass have become an obsession of American life – and western life.

The goal, for many suburbanites living in the outer reaches of Americana is to field the perfect lawn on the front and in the back of the home. This lawn? It must have no weeds or parasitic plants, it must have no pests living within its confines, it must measure in at no more than an inch in height, and it must be edged with a cut that is military in precision.

Why do we care so much? Well – we’ve come to associate a great grass lawn with status. They indicate wealth, respect, power and more important property value. Think of them as the haircut of the home. Owning a perfect lawn shows everyone else that you care about your lawn, and you’ve got the time and money to fix your lawn and keep it looking good.

This can root into obsession – because if you believe that your lawn reflects onto your character, you will worry about its appearance constantly. Think about it, even if you’ve got a jungle of a garden, it might strike you as odd to see the condition of others gardens! The garden and thus the lawn matters. There is beauty to be found in the vast green expanses of the world, and this is something we want to bottle for our own homes. When we started to earn more, we started to care about the lawn.

The perfect lawn does not happen by accident. It must be planted, watered, cultivated, cut, mowed, fixed and fed. There’s a lot of work in cultivating the perfect lawn, so the big question here? Are up to the task. Well, are you?

If so, you need to get to work. In some cases, you may consider replanting the lawn if it’s a shoddy quality of grass. It’s easy to tell if it is. If we’re seeing a lot of weeds and soil, we might need to consider laying some turf over. As for feed, you can find plenty of things to feed your lawn – but the best things you need to give to your lawn are water and sun in abundances – water especially so when it is hot.

Lawns take a lot of work! Ideally, you need to ensure you’ve got good trimming equipment to make your life a lot easier when it comes to mowing. Something like a zero-turn device like the ones featured on BestMower can be a great addition. Additionally, seek the aid of a gardener, who can be a big help if you want your lawn to reach perfection.

In a drought, you might need to quit caring for the lawn and you might have to start again – lawns guzzle water at an incredibly scary rate and are just not worth it when the drought does roll in; because it’s unfair. When those times come, we need to think about the pressing issue that matter – they are not usually the lawns and its upkeep – and they shouldn’t be!

There are other considerations as well – like the ethical use of pesticides and poisons on lawns which can flow into the water system.

However, this is all trend. The lawn has been gathering pace for years, and it’s perfect green glow and edges might fade out one day for a new trend. Certainly we are seeing more and more from ‘naturalized’ lawns that allow flowers and weeds amongst the green grass. It’s ok not to have a lawn that is in incredible condition, so don’t stress. It’s also ok to have a great lawn!

There is an estimated span of lawn in America, totaled up that is around the size of Texas. We care about lawns, despite their seemingly pointless use and that’s a reflection on us.

We care about our looks and how we are perceived, so in fact why would we not care about how our lawn looks? A good lawn is a measure of really hard work – and if the only benefit of a good lawn is to make us feel good, that’s more than ok. A lawn is something to be proud of.

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