Question
QUESTION: I am seriously considering mulching my front lawn totally.  It is small and grows more weeds then grass.  I would relish the convenience of being able to landscape without the "border" concepts.  Is there a downside to this?

Thanks,
Barbara

ANSWER: Mulching -- you mean, you want to get rid of the Lawn totally and cover it up with Mulch, yes?

It's been done.

You didn't mention where you are writing from, but if you are in the North, you might consider a no-fuss groundcover like Pachysandra, Hosta, Ivy or several other options.

I personally prefer the Green to the Brown or Tan of, say, a bark mulch.  These have their place.  But you can do more when you feel like it with the Green.  A birdbath for instance, and/or a birdfeeder in the middle of a plot of Hostas or Pachysandra, are, well, delightful.  And the Birds sound nice, too.

People don't pay much attention to Birds like they used to.

That's my opinion.

Your concept is very progressive, I have to point out.  The Las Vegas Government is giving bonuses out to homeowners who do this.  Water is scarcer by the day out there.  But people love their Lawns, and they won't give them up.

The only downside I can think of is the Birds.  May not be important.  A Tree planted in the middle of the Mulch would be a nice touch.  Grass does not thrive under Trees anyway.  Me, I vote for anything that makes the Birds happy.  And although I am a Lawn lover, I have to say this is probably a very good idea.  I would just prefer you take advantage of the situation you are setting up to make it hospitable to Birds.

Thanks for writing.  I'd like to hear your thoughts on all of the above if you are so inclined.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Am looking for an alternative to Round-Up for killing grass and weeds.  Just seems that when the birds light on that area they would ingest some of the poison.  Any thoughts?
Barbara
Hickory,NC

Answer
Everybody LOVES the idea of Monsanto's 'Round-Up' Glyphosate being safe.  If it's so safe, why does it kill people?

'A Case-Control Study of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Exposure to Pesticides' ran in the Journal of American Cancer Society March 15, 1999 issue. It described the results of a study conducted between 1987 and 1990 by Swedish oncologists linking Glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (the disease that killed Jackie O et al).

Monsanto shot back quickly that the study was 'statistically insignificant'.  The company also declared, ' The WHO, the US EPA and the EU have evaluated glyphosate and said it is not a mutagen, carcinogen or reproductive toxicant.'

There is a lengthy debate posted on the internet by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN):

http://www.poptel.org.uk/panap/archives/glysunwb.htm

I prefer the outright hostile speech posted by Mindfully.org, 'Everything You Never Wanted to Know About
Monsanto's Modus Operandi':

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Monsanto-Roundup-Glyphosate.htm

An alternative to Round-Up... There are organic weedkillers, my favorite being the incredibly benign but tricky Corn Meal Gluten pre-emergent that interrupts seed germination.  Some Weeds succumb to Vinegar spray; some to flame-throwers; some to old fashioned hand weeding.  There are very effective fabrics that cover soil and prevent growth; sometimes a few sheets of wet newspaper will work for a season.  For general wipeout of Weeds, a hot, sunny climate will find solarization effective (cover the area with clear plastic, seal the edges and watch Weeds and Seeds cook for a few weeks, then remove, and you have pasteurized Soil).  There's lots of options.  Round-Up has no place on the planet.  Thanks for asking.  Any questions, ask away.