Everyone knows what grass looks like — but have you ever taken a real close look at what's actually growing in your yard?
This Redditor did, and they were surprised to find more than common grass spreading roots in their Houston yard. They posted photos in the r/Landscaping subreddit and described how a "slender, thin blade" was popping up all across their front lawn.
"This stuff grows lickety fast and needs to be cut every week or so… it's been driving me crazy," they wrote in the post. "Actually got an HOA violation because of it."
Homeowner associations all across the country have become notorious for enforcing overbearing regulations on residential properties, from lawn care to solar panels.
In this case, the original poster speculated that they may be dealing with an invasive plant. They were unable to identify it but described how they've been mowing the lawn every single week to keep up with it and have even tried weed-killing chemicals, to no avail.
"Need to get rid of this stuff before I get another HOA violation," they lamented. "Cutting every weekend isn't feasible for me."
One commenter recommended pulling each plant out by hand, while another suggested trying out a chemical called Atrazine to kill off the unwanted species.
Atrazine is an herbicide, and while those kinds of products can be an effective way to keep common grasses clear of weeds, they have also been found to cause harm to both humans and plants.
A safer, cheaper, and less time-consuming solution would be to convert the lawn to native plants like clover, which requires very little watering, mowing, or general maintenance. Mulching and natural weed killers like boiling water could also do the trick.
HOA rules against native plants and natural lawns stop many homeowners from pursuing these money-saving and environmentally friendly options — but there are ways to change HOA bylaws for the better.
"Wait a minute…" wrote another commenter. "You guys have lawns that don't need mowing every week?? That sounds wonderful!"
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