Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2022 September 28

= September 28 =

Why do I have tall grass on my brown lawn?
There is grass growing that is tall enough to look like wheat, so I still have to mow it, but it seems like a waste since so little grass is actually growing. Trying to find the answer with Google isn't giving me anything useful.— Vchimpanzee  •  talk  •  contributions  •  16:06, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Most likely the grass that is growing has long roots that managed to reach some water. NadVolum (talk) 17:31, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
 * It sure is getting tall. Of course, this weekend we'll get plenty of rain.— Vchimpanzee  •  talk  •  contributions  •  20:49, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Perhaps it is wheat? :-) NadVolum (talk) 22:40, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Or wild wheat or wild wheat. This, or similar, grows in Australia. As kids, it made great darts to throw at somebody wearing a jumper. Wild oats were even better, giving a handful of darts. --TrogWoolley (talk) 13:08, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Or just weeds? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:48, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Any plant is a weed if it's growing where it's not wanted. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.193.128.129 (talk) 13:45, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes. In this case, it depends on whether it's proper lawn grass or some "volunteer" variety. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:41, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * And, conversely, any plant growing where it is wanted is not a weed. Down with monoculture lawns. If my lawn was just "proper lawn grass", I would consider that the ultimate infestation of weeds. --User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 18:29, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * You can more likely get away with that philosophy if you live in the country. If you're in a city, they probably have ordinances curbing your enthusiasm for prairie grass. :) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:33, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Prairie grass is not a thing in the UK (or, I suspect, Europe generally), but there is a good deal of encouragement in the UK at present for people to grow mixed meadow plants rather than monoculture lawns. I'm not aware of short and/or monoculture lawns being mandated anywhere in the UK (though it may be so in some privately owned housing estates) – the reaction of most Brits to such a ukase would be to say "Up yours!" and deliberately grow something tall and mixed. "An Englishman's home is his castle", and his (or her) garden is part of his/her home. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.193.128.129 (talk) 01:49, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * The OP appears to be American. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:17, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Mowing is a waste anyway. Go for full wildflowers+pollinator garden. Andre🚐 22:41, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Unless the city has an ordinance requiring keeping the grass short. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:48, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * I have neighbors who mostly keep their grass mowed. I'll update after Hurricane Ian.— Vchimpanzee  •  talk  •  contributions  •  16:55, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Here in the Phoenix area, the standard practice has been to "overseed" the lawn as it goes dormant and turns brown in the wintertime; Scottsdale is now prohibiting HOAs from mandating this practice. Elizium23 (talk) 03:38, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * For those not in the USA, an "HOA" is a Home Owners' Association. They are similar to neighbourhood committees, but can enforce locally agreed rules including the colour you paint your door and how much grass you grow.  Apparently they can seize property and sell it on to cover the mandatory assessment or breach of the rules.  Membership appears to be usually automatic on purchasing a property covered by such a regime.  Hence 's link to the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA where the city council has stopped the HOAs from mandating reseeding and watering. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 07:52, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Ah yes, the Land of the Free... Alansplodge (talk) 12:44, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * The residents are free to move elsewhere if they don't like the HOA's rules. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:41, 29 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Ah, a classic example of the motte-and-bailey fallacy. Usually applied at the country level.
 * Motte: The residents are free to move elsewhere if they don't like the HOA's rules is factually true. In fact, The residents are free to move elsewhere is true in isolation.
 * Bailey: the heavily-implied ...and therefore criticism of the rules is unwarranted. If that is not what you wanted to imply, why link freedom of movement with the HoA rules? Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 13:41, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Americans are pretty big on freedom from government intervention, but the quasi-governmental restrictions of private organizations often get a free pass. In fact, freedom is impinged upon in either case. Consider: The very same argument could be used to justify, for example, a federal law requiring all houses to be painted blue. You're perfectly free to move to another country to avoid such a law; nevertheless it is a restriction of one's liberty. Shells-shells (talk) 18:49, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * The way houses and yards are to be kept is typically a matter of local ordinances. If you find their zoning laws too restrictive, you can campaign to elect a more liberal local government. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:14, 1 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the people criticizing the rules have spent their whole life as activists campaigning for better rules – not even for themselves, but for the people who are the most hurt by bad rules. Then it is not reasonable to respond to their criticism by saying that they are free to campaign for better rules. Or that they are free to move to Iceland or wherever. --Lambiam 10:23, 2 October 2022 (UTC)
 * They can criticize all they want. But if they own a home and they defy the city ordinances, they can be fined, or worse. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 21:05, 2 October 2022 (UTC)
 * That kind of organization is not US-specific (see fr:Syndic de copropriété). Their tendency to impose absurd and intrusive rules exists everywhere, though maybe the US version is the worst in that regard. Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 13:41, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Throwing that through Google Translate it appears that it is rather different. A shared building will require management as a whole, after all who fixes the roof or the main front door?  From the Wiki article on HOAs it appears that they are dealing with separate properties, hence the concern with lawns and front doors.  Of course as a Brit I could be (1) misunderstanding the Yanks, and (2) misreading a French language page! Martin of Sheffield (talk) 14:51, 30 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Indeed, French syndics are usually only present in shared buildings.
 * However, their power goes much beyond "fixing the roof or the main front door" - for instance, you need their permission to change your windows, or paint your own door (at your own expense). The justification for that is to keep some architectural/appearance unity - that might make sense in historical or artistic buildings etc. but not much in new utility constructions. Of course, the French way around it is to make the works anyway and hope nobody cares. Tigraan Click here for my talk page ("private" contact) 11:42, 5 October 2022 (UTC)

Even in the wet west of Scotland, where "lawns" quickly revert to moss with grass struggling to get through, some grasses left alone soon tend to get tall. As in this semi-wild community park, though deer grazing may have reduced others. . . dave souza, talk 11:47, 2 October 2022 (UTC)