Not everything advertised to help your lawn will give you the outcome you want, as one homeowner recently found out after making a big mistake.
The Pella, Iowa, homeowner took to the r/landscaping subreddit to share the "embarrassing mistake" they made with their home three years ago and are still battling.
The Reddit poster revealed that as a "young homeowner who has never had any experience with yards," they got overwhelmed one day when shopping for weed killer.
They decided to purchase Roundup — a popular chemical that kills weeds and tough grass. The homeowner sought to get rid of weeds and crabgrass, so they thought it would work perfectly. However, they discovered the chemical destroyed regular grass on their lawn.
"It stayed green for a couple weeks, and I thought I had gotten lucky," they said. "But within a span of a couple days, it went from green to cruuuunnnchy brown."
The homeowner explained that while some of the grass grew back, they've struggled to return to a luscious green lawn.
"After three years, I'm tired of mowing dirt and weeds," they said, adding they have laid down more soil and plan to put down sod to get back to normal.
As the homeowner works toward refurbishing the lawn, there are other options they can take to foster a flourishing yard that reaps economic and environmental benefits. Grass alternatives like clover, xeriscaping, or variants of native plants may cost around $100 to seed but can more than double that in annual savings.
Natural lawns are less inclined to attract weeds, allowing homeowners to protect their wallets and themselves from weed killers and pesticides, which often contain toxic chemicals that can irritate the skin and eyes.
🗣️ If you have a lawn, what aspect of it do you value most?
🔘 The way it looks 🤩
🔘 The way my family uses it 👪
🔘 It's enjoyable to mow 😎
🔘 It's cheap to maintain 💰
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
These alternatives require much less water to maintain, conserving water that may be needed elsewhere. Natural lawns can also serve as a haven for wildlife, including pollinators like bees and butterflies, helping foster a healthier ecosystem in your neighborhood.
Many other homeowners offered up words of wisdom for the poster.
"As long as you learnt from your mistake, that's the main thing & now you'll take more pride in it," one Reddit user wrote.
"Oof! Mistakes happen, but that one sure would hurt!" another said. "I don't know a lot about sod but 'grandpas weeder' is a great tool for pulling weeds. Looking forward to seeing your final results."
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