Last Updated on October 23, 2022 by Brian Beck
I get peer pressure and I understand human nature. For some the landscape is not a place that was built for enjoyment but rather an extension of their ego which involves pride and maybe a little vanity but hey it is healthy to build something and be proud of it right? I can’t tell you how driving some of this is, the peer pressure that is. As you can probably see there are people in your neighborhood that probably don’t give a rip about their landscape and there are those who get out twice per week and mow their lawn because they like how it looks. I would always get a kick out of the ones who would get out and mow their lawn while I was at a neighbors property. Sometimes it would be three or four people on the same street that would actually run and get their mowers while I was mowing at a house down the street. What I want to talk about in this blog is however the statement, “But my neighbor’s lawn…”. This statement is usually offered out of a protest over what is almost always a misunderstanding and the perceived success or action of a neighbor in contrast to their situation that is at odds with theirs. Let me lay this out there. While there are only so many combinations that can exist in the world of the landscape, particularly the lawn, there are only five basic elements that control the forces behind the lawn. They are: the sun, the atmosphere, the inputs (us), the soil (you) and the irrigation (you). The vast amount of problems are found, preexisting in the soil and are compounded by the watering habits of the customer as a poorly watered lawn will never get enough nutrients into the plant because the water is not getting to the root (shallow watering). While both of these can be corrected one immediately and the other over time they are usually the biggest source of the customers anxiety about their lawn. The one beautiful thing about chemistry and biology, even in the synthetic lawns is that they are adhering to the laws of biology and chemistry which is another way of saying that they are telling the truth. So when I hear the phrase, “But my neighbor’s lawn…” the rules surrounding what is governing how the grass is looking comes into play, things like soil pH, organic matter content, CEC, microbiology levels and water content of the soil. The best way to manage a lawn is by science, testing and proper and routine adherence to correct and effective horticultural habit (man I love saying that). Guessing, using bro-science, consensus, HOA rules and saying, “But my neighbor’s lawn…are NOT good ways to achieve a good lawn or be efficient for that matter. We will soon be offering a DIY program for those who want the satisfaction of accomplishment, more about that later but these factors will need to be handled in a rational, logical and calculated manner so one can reach an objective in an efficient process otherwise it will occur in a very wasteful, disjointed and disorganized manner and will be ruled by opinion, perception, peer pressure and artificial and unrealistic imposed timetables that are not biologically possible or responsible. If you know what we know about the soil here you will understand that it is sometimes like expecting a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade after having a 911 event. It is sometimes really really bad and things need to be corrected before we can proceed in a possible manner. So for best results make sure that all of the parameters are in check before you look at your neighbor’s lawn. This will apply to lawncare as well as life.