Pluggers by Rick McKee for September 08, 2024

Dandelions are more useful than grass. You can eat the tender greens and use the flowers to make wine. Good food for rabbits too.

A Green Lawn works for me ;-)

10 years ago

Yes of course we is loves greenery.

As long as it’s green — and it’s not poison ivy — it’s OK by me.

Here, the classic green lawn requires a lot of herbicides. Where I live, these herbicides are killing off night crawlers, bees, wasps, and I suspect others. The birds have left, but for some, that seems to be a small price to pay to have green lawns.

Try telling that to my HOA.

Many weed are edible…

Brown should be the new green. In case one hasn’t noticed, there is an international shortage of fresh water. And an even greater shortage of potable water. This isn’t just because of climate change. It’s also due to increased population and increased usage. We have a heck of a lot more people in the world today and more people means more water needed for drinking, growing food, etc. More potable water. And we’ve invented new ways to use that water, for irrigation and to support our industries.

What does fresh water do when left on its own? It soaks into the soil or rests in glaciers and lakes and eventually runs downhill. When it reaches the bottom of the hill, it joins the ocean and becomes salt water — again.

To become fresh water again, it has to evaporate; and then, if it is to be useful for us, it has to fall as precipitation over land. Sounds simple, but since we can’t control where or when it lands, all we can do is hope that it ends up falling gently on our crops and lawns - at the right times of year- and into mountains lakes, streams and rivers so we can eventually pipe it into our reservoirs and buildings [where we check to make sure it is potable].

The amount of water on our planet is fixed and over 97% is saline. That leaves just about 3% to keep all land dwellers alive [plants, people and other animals]. And 2/3rds of that is in glaciers and inaccessible ground waters. We have many, many more people and uses today than anytime in the past. So, that tiny percentage of available fresh water has to stretch a lot further. Or we have to encourage more rain to fall.

I live in the Colorado River Basin. Since 1922, when the famous Colorado Rive Compact was signed, the populations of the 7 states sharing the river water has increased over 800%, from 7.5 million people to almost 61 million. About 75% of that water is used for irrigation. One small example of what is happening all over the world.

Let’s make brown the new green.

Green is good.

Yeah—-my Dad used to say that.

If were not crabgrass my lawn would I erode away. It is the only thing holding our hill together.

didn’t take me that long actually. A mentor of mine (former Physics teacher) had the position that if it was green he mowed it. Works for me.

If it weren’t for the fruit, many berry plants would be considered weeds.

That always worked for me!

Yeah, it’s not like it has crab claws.

My father would carry a hoe whenever we walked on his ten-acre pasture. It does not take long for weeds to overtake the more nutritious grasses planted for the cattle.

that’s me for sure… I don’t water, only hafta mow a few times in the spring, and then a time or two more over the drainfield!

It breaks up the monotony of the lawn. Who thought all that grass was a good idea anyway?

AND it’s tough and durable, even in dry weather.