A person living in a community run by a homeowners association is sick and tired of the organization's counter-productive policy when it comes to lawn maintenance.
In a post on the Reddit r/lawncare community, they described how a contracted company comes by to mow residents' lawns regularly, regardless of their condition.
"For the first time in my life, I am forced, based on where I live, to allow a company to mow my lawn," the original poster began. "They mow hundreds of lawns in this HOA community and they mow way too short and mow on schedule no matter what…drought or wet. Is there anything I can do to help mitigate, even a little bit, the scalping?"
The Redditor is referring to lawn scalping, a practice that sees grass cut incredibly short in early spring or late fall to encourage growth. However, doing it at other times of the year can be damaging, leading to dry, patchy, or discolored grass.
"That's all they do is cut lawns and mulch the snot out of everything," one Redditor said of HOA landscaping contractors. "Many times they should skip a week."
"I talked to a neighbor who said one person puts a 'do not mow today' sign in her yard when appropriate," the OP replied. "I may have to try that."
Talking to the HOA and persuading them to change their practices can cause a few headaches, but it will likely be worth it. Indeed, if you can talk them into cutting down on such regular mowing, you will save them money.
What could work even better is explaining the benefits that rewilded yards could have for a community. While some HOAs think lawns that aren't a slab of green monoculture grass are unsightly, rewilded yards can be extremely pretty. Little pops of color from native plants and the presence of butterflies and bees should be a welcome sight.
What's more, since native plants are used to the local climate and soil conditions, they require much less maintenance and water, which would also save the HOA on landscaping bills.
"Part of the reason the HOA exists is so that the neighborhood looks nice," one commenter observed. "I'm sure they'll appreciate the suggestion if you bring it to them nicely and well thought out."
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