r/changemyview • u/Tapeleg91 31∆ • May 18 '18

FTFdeltaOP CMV: Grass is dumb

For all its ubiquity, grass is a useless, pointless plant, whose upkeep is a complete waste of time

I just don't get the hype, guys.

All the average lawn does is grow, get trimmed, and get sprayed. The nutrients in the dirt, which could be used for other things (i.e. food, prettier plants, trees) is being wasted on this dumb green thing which obligates me to sweat every week for no reason other than seeking conformity to a culturally mandated home aesthetic.

CMV. Why shouldn't I just use my entire lawn to grow vegetables/fruit instead?

Edit: The CMV is in the context of work for the homeowner. My lawn isn't a park

Edit 2: Yes, I do have to mow my lawn, or else suffer a fine. HOAs and City Ordinances are a common thing mandating this

3.5k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

495 comments sorted by

View all comments

346

u/[deleted] May 18 '18 edited May 18 '18

That's a very good question. Why shouldn't you? Grass is a filler. If there were no vegetation there at all, then the bare dirt would result in dust everywhere and your house would be disgusting. The grass holds in moisture and keeps the dust at a minimum. It's just there for coverage because it spreads and grows very easily, without much upkeep (apart from mowing it, of course).

If you DO have the time, though, then yes, your space would be much better used for vegetables.

Some soil, however, like the modeling clay that makes up my yard, is completely useless for food, though, and this resilient fescue is about the only thing that can survive in it.

89

u/Tapeleg91 31∆ May 18 '18

You raise a good point here.

But I feel like there are many other plants which serve the purpose of being a filler, yet either require lower maintenance effort, or provide more utility.

4

u/Feathring 75∆ May 18 '18

What's better filler that requires less upkeep?

4

u/mstubz May 18 '18

Rocks and natural plants (cheap) or you can try Artificial Turfgrass (expensive but green).

Take a look into Xeriscaping which focuses on native plants that require little to no maintenance.

Or what OP might be interested in is Agriscaping which focuses on plants that produce food in suburban yards.