The Grass Doctor

Why do so many people neglect their lawns and weed control?

I'm talking people in really nice homes too. I live in new development and a lot of my neighbors have already let their lawns go to crap....They scalp it low and make it even worse......I don't care what you think, a nice landscaped weedfree lawn adds value to your home. And don't tell be because they have no time. It doesn't really take that much time to keep your lawn looking nice.

Public Comments

1. I just think that either they don't know how to care for it or that they're lazy. We live in a cash-rich, poor time society and some people are just so wrapped up in their everyday lives that they just don't care about the little things like weeds in their lawn. I know what you mean though, it does not look good- Haven't they ever heard of miracle-gro weed n feed?!
2. Just plain laziness I guess. :)
3. If it bothers you so much, and it must according to your comments, you could start up a lawn care business. You make a little money and your neighbors' lawn look beautiful. It's a win-win solution.
4. May be they are afraid to use the herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers around their children and pets. I am. No excuse for not mowing though. Mowing to a proper height regularly, helps to keep the snakes, rodents, and ticks away. That is good for the pets and kids.
5. Maybe they just don't have a clue what to do. Where to begin. It is rather forbidding when you go to the store & there are 20 products for the same thing. It takes time & research & trial & error to learn how to maintain a nice lawn in different regions with different soils & temperatures & zones. ALL of this takes time to do. My way of thinking is it comes with age. Pride in what you have worked for, your home, yard,= your castle. Your own little piece of heaven on earth. Be patient with them, they are not all like you. We are all different & you know not what is going on in their lives or hearts or minds. Do your thing & let them do theirs. There may be something or many things about you that they do not understand or know that makes them nuts as well. So you be you & let them be them. They will be where you are soon enough. Do you have a neighbor who has a rooster? One that crows from 4:00 am to 4:00 pm? I work nights & he is crowing when I get home till when I get up. All day long!!!! It is spring & I would like to enjoy the windows being up so the fresh air can come in but this new rooster is making it hard for me to enjoy it. So far it has not kept me from sleep,(TG!!!) but I live in KCK, in town, I thought in this day & age this type of thing was for farms & the outskirts of town. My point is count your blessings. What may iritate one, may not the next, & it can ALWAYS be worse.
6. I happen to like dandelions,(if that's what you mean,) they are pretty, and they are edible! (The flowers are nice in salads.) But to answer your question, you can pretty much chalk this down to simple ignorance and laziness. Even worse, lawns are a such a huge waste of water, especially in the western states, where you could easily use more water on your lawn than your house. If you really want to make your neighbors drool (heaven forbid you should actually meet them), you could do what I did. Plant your yard with *native* grasses and wildflowers, and splurge on lots of nice ornamental trees and shrubs. You can add some nice looking specimen plants, and some stone and gravel walkways to view your creation.... The great part about this is you only have to water it at most once a week during the heat of the summer, you only need to mow it and aerate it once in December or February. No herbicide, (some weeding) only a little fertilizer now and then. And no one can tell that it didn't just grow out of the ground looking that way ('cause it did....) OK, so maybe this takes a little more work than having a lawn, but it is so much more unique and beautiful.........
7. people dont know what they are doing and they might just lazy or maybe a combination of both