Neighbor Complaining About Our Lawn Care - Weeds/Pests

[Anonymous]

I would kindly suggest to him that he should speak to his lawn service, because they apparently aren't doing the job properly if they aren't preventing/killing off the weeds in his yard. What is he paying all that money for?

As long as your yard is mowed, it seems very reasonable to me. I'd probably change flower beds to require little/no weeding in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This stuff is great

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100185665&R=100185665

Looks great and gets good reviews, but what in the world is all this stuff going to do to my kids/pets if I start using it on a regular basis?

(From the Material Safety Data Sheet):

Penoxsulam
Urea
Methylene Urea
Potassium Chloride
Potassium Sulfate
Monoammonium Phosphate
Diammonium Phosphate
Ammonium Sulfate
Calcium Carbonate
Sulfur
Iron (Ferric) Oxide
Iron (Ferrous) Sulfate
Manganese Oxide
Magnesium Sulfate
Sulfate of Potash-Magnesia
Magnesium Carbonate

[Anonymous]

This reminds me of the "The Great Gatsby.", Nick Carraway rents the house next to Gatsby's and doesn't maintain his lawn up to West Egg standards. Gatsby dispatches his gardener to mow Nick's grass and eliminate the problem.

I blame Frederick Law Olmsted for starting the lawn problems. In the mid 1800's he designed one of the first planned suburban communities in America, Riverside IL. His design required that that each house be set back thirty feet from the road.

In the end, I suggest you borrow some goats to take care of the weeds.

http://www.wtop.com/41/2863524/Goats-for-hire-come-with-voracious-appetites

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:he can sue you for damaging his property, Get a service you slouch

GTFO. Nerd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can find a service that uses non-toxic applications to keep weeds at bay. Crap lawns are annoying, even in "solidly middle class" neighborhoods. I say this looking out of my dining room window at two yards that look like absolute shit. Weeds everywhere, horrible mowing, no edging, hatchet jobs on the shrubs. It's infuriating when able-bodied people let their yards go, and it *does* bring down the neighborhood. If you don't like doing yard work, fine, but shell out the money for somebody to take care of your lawn so the rest of us don't have to look at your mess.

If you feel that strongly about it, my opinion is that you have the right to move somewhere that has an HOA. This way there are regulations on how people have to maintain their yards.

If there is no HOA, then sorry, but the rest of you do have to look at a messy yard. It's just part of the deal, to some extent. Unless it's something that's harming you (an unleashed vicious dog or an unshoveled, icy sidewalk) just thinking that something 'looks like absolute shit' seems like an objective complaint to me.

[Anonymous]

I think you should start complaining to him about the environmental damage he is causing. We live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and all that stuff ultimately flows into the bay.

http://www.cbf.org/page.aspx?pid=526

[Anonymous]

Check out the goats at work -

http://www.prosperityacres.com/goat/greengoats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he can sue you for damaging his property, Get a service you slouch

GTFO. Nerd.

Yeah, but I doubt he can win a dime. In Montgomery county, as long as your weeds/grass is shorter than 12 inches, you are fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would kindly suggest to him that he should speak to his lawn service, because they apparently aren't doing the job properly if they aren't preventing/killing off the weeds in his yard. What is he paying all that money for?

OP here - another great suggestion! I'm sure that'd go over well. I think he'd just have them focus their spraying more on that area then, meaning we'd be getting even more spray residue.

[Anonymous]

I always make sure I apply at least 11 feet into the neighbor's property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nor would I ever stop a four year old from making a wish on a dandelion.


http://www.earthyreport.com/site/is-your-lawn-bad-for-the-environment/

OP here - I actually do make sure my kids don't do this at home because of my neighbor!! I think he would FLIP out if he saw my DD blowing dandelion seeds around. I let her do it at the park, but she knows that she's not allowed to do it on our lawn. I obviously wouldn't mind, but ever since my neighbor started in on us, I don't want to piss him off even more.

[Anonymous]

From an old article:

Nancy and Walter Stewart of Potomac, Maryland, discovered this truth in 1986. That was the spring their tractor mower broke down one time too many, and they decided to let most of their seven-acre yard grow. Soon shaggy meadow grasses and wildflowers overtook the lawn. The Stewarts loved the natural look and the low maintenance—twice-a-year mowing and no watering or pesticides. But in their posh Washington, D.C., suburb the meadow garden stuck out like a jalopy up on blocks. The neighbors were furious. One sent an anonymous note calling the yard “a disgrace to the entire neighborhood.” Someone started a fire in it. The county cited the couple under its weed ordinance. After the Stewarts threatened a legal challenge- Nancy is a U.S. Justice Department attorney—the county finally amended its weed law to permit meadow gardens with a mowed strip surrounding them.

OP, grow a meadow lawn. I want to, but my wife will not let me.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure why you posted here OP when you clearly have no intention of trying to make your yard look nicer. Have fun being the neighbor everyone bitches about behind your back!

[Anonymous]

Check out some of the lawn services that are supposed to be more environmentally friendly. I think "Spring Green" is one. There's another one in this area too but I can't remember the name.

[Anonymous]

Dandelions and other weeds are ediable. Next time he bitches, hand him a recipe for Dandelion Salad.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dandelion-salad/