Photo Jeff ‘Nutbush’ Dawson
It was 37 degrees two summers ago and the landlord had just visited and suggested in a polite way that our calf-high ‘lawn’ needed attention. Reluctantly, amidst pools of sweat, noise, fumes, and carbon emissions, we whipped and ground our way through the job, suffering stoically through the whole process.
Afterwards, over a beer, we overlooked our handiwork… ‘I never want to mow again,’ said my flatmate Phil… ‘I’ve done a lifetime’s worth already.’ I had to agree. Mowing is both a sign and a symptom of conformity, and that has never sat well with me.
Possibilities
‘What if…’ said Phil, ‘What if we kill the grass and see what comes up?’.
Phil is a qualified soil geologist and a dab hand at botany, so after a bit of discussion we came up with a plan. Over the next week we covered the newly cut grass with two layers of cardboard and lawn clippings from the landlord’s lawn, avoiding any clippings from grass that had gone to seed. When the long-established couch grass showed signs of coming back we repeated the process.
After about 12 weeks we sat back comfortably and observed the process. A few obvious weeds and some of the old grass showed up, both of which were ruthlessly culled. One thing showed up regularly though that Phil took a shine to. ‘Mullumbimby nut grass,’ he said.
Phil explained how this species of sedge grass was indigenous to our area, only grew to ankle height, and was a favourite amongst native fauna as shelter and food.
Lifesaver or weed?
We had a extension to our plan and we put it into action. Nut grass grows in clumps not unlike mondo grass, and sends seeds to sprout nearby but can also send a small viable plant on the end of a tendril of grass to start another clump nearby. We watched it spread and thicken, crowding out most weeds.
At this point it must be said that if you are trying to grow a normal lawn then nut grass is your enemy, indeed a quick internet search for ‘nut grass’ will provide you with a thousand ways and products to kill it. We decided to go the other way and haven’t mowed the lawn for two years, whilst the local water dragons, frogs and friendly bugs have never had it better.
Our ‘lawn’ is carbon positive, indigenous, and promotes the local wildlife. All we do is weed a little, usually after rain. This experiment of ours may not be a global gamechanger but has made me feel more positive about my impact on the world. Maybe all we have to do is think differently…
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