AIBU to ask you to cut your grass?

[BadEyedManiac]

I know there's a movement around not cutting grass and not trimming hedges and so on which I have to say our local council has enthusiastically embraced to the point that road signs are partly obscured by various shrubbery.

However although this might be lovely for bees (although the absolute benefits are probably limited in the context of the age of industrial farming which no one is doing anything about) it is hell on earth for people with pollen allergies. And is particular hell on earth for people like me who have pollen allergies and a corneal condition.

I've just woken up due to corneal pain and have spent ten minutes pouring eye drops into my eyes and I know it's only going to get worse as summer goes on. The environmental benefits from people failing to tend their greenery in urban areas are negligible while the effects on the people around you can be absolutely brutal. Please, please cut your bloody grass. This is awful.

We found that the first year after planting lavender and other bee friendly plants (last year) we didn't get many bees. This year our garden is absolutely full of them. It seems like it needed some time to get established

To be honest my hayfever is worse when grass is being cut, i stay away when my partner cuts the grass.

Bees and insects have declined by 60% and it's a threat to future food production.

The issue is that so many people are paving over gardens and using plastic grass and digging up trees and plants that in urban areas it's a real issue. Those of us left with 'proper' gardens (ie with actual grass and plants) are having to compensate with 'no mow may' etc initiatives.

And don't even get me started with this fuckwit government that has allowed the reintroduction of bee-killing pesticides in commercial farming.

I'm sorry for your suffering OP it must be miserable. But some of us will still grow things because if we don't, we will all starve in the coming years. Scary stuff

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/may/uks-flying-insects-have-declined-60-in-20-years.html

So pollution is just as bad as pollen but you aren't asking everyone to stop driving? It's give and take and not everyone has the time to be cutting their grass every week or so.

Plus people can't do anything about industrial farming (apart from industrial farmers) and what they can do is let their little patch of land grow.

I do feel bad for you, would goggles be an option? I know it helps me and I had the idea from cutting onions. obviously not out and about but in your house?

Guilty. I’ve let the grass in my garden grow to almost waist height. I do not own a strimmer or mower to cut it down. And I can not afford to buy them. I also can’t justify the cost of paying someone to do it for me. With all the price hikes… cutting the grass is just not my priority.

signed: someone who suffers itchy , leaky eyes and nose, thickly throat and asthma during pollen season.

@BadEyedManiac Of the 1 in 4 people you quote, I’m one of them. My hay fever is horrendous at times but I still don’t go around demanding that other people cut their grass. I just take antihistamines rather than being a knob that doesn’t care about pollinators and thinking humans come first.

Arable farmers are changing the way they farm. Not sure why you have it in for them?

That leads to reduced yields and higher food prices though ultimately.

Everything that anyone can do to help wildlife is worth it.

how do you go about replacing it? Do you just get a few plants and let them creep over time and take over or is it a bigger job?

I hate cutting the grass but DH wants it looking neat so this could be the solution for many.

OP try and spread this word!

I'm not sure your theory is correct actually, cutting grass is likely to make hayfever much worse as is rain as it stirs up the pollen and we've had plenty of that recently. Are you taking high strength GP prescribed antihistamines along with nasal sprays?

Cutting the grass makes me worse, and my hayfever is bad. I'm getting the injection next week.

I’ve got great news for you op. Rather than killing wildlife you can improve your hay fever by reducing car use in your area. Pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and ozone can attack the pollen grains, bursting them open and releasing more of the highly allergic proteins that trigger hay fever. Ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide pollution also attack the membranes in the respiratory tract, making people more susceptible to the pollen. I hope this leads to you devoting your life to improving public transport networks or similar

YABU. Verges are very unlikely to make much of a difference (there will still be fields, meadows, moors and heathlands which won’t be mown) and continual mowing plus re growth will be just as bad. Plus going on about vermin and roundabouts makes it sound like you just have a general issue with this and are blaming if entirely for your health problems when I very much doubt it has made much of a difference at all.

Why do you need to drive in the wrong lane at roundabouts. Just follow the road markings.

No.

What does this mean?

So my garden is doing fuck all for the bees, but will somehow cure hay fever if I mow it? Where will all my buzzy friends go? 🐝

Even if the whole of Mumsnet relented and cut their grass, you'd still have hay fever OP.

I'm keeping my lawn, soz.

What else are you using? I've put creeping thyme and lawn chamomile down so far, and despite the naysayers on the gardening board, I'm quite pleased with how it's going. If I see any Corsican mint I'll try that.

I’m sorry you’re upset, I have hay fever and agree it’s not pleasant…. But, no I’m not going to constantly cut my grass (and I’m really pleased that councils are leaving more areas wild).

Nature needs wild areas, not millions of neatly cut lawns. Hopefully the next generation will suffer less from hay fever after being exposed to a more natural environment from a young age.

We don't cut one area of lawn, but I try not to let any of the grass flower as I don't want it seeding everywhere - I want the wild flowers not the grass! It's full of vetch, buttercups, clover, daisies etc but I doubt that's any better for your hayfever OP.

Well OP, I feel you on grass cutting as the corner to where my road meets the main road there's a large property with a playing field that's been for sale for years. Their grass is so high that you can't see oncoming traffic on the left until you're halfway across the junction. Last year a neighbour cut enough of the grass at the corner for drivers to see, but so far nothing's been done.
Re your hayfever, I have asthma that's brought on by hayfever, but it's come on uncommonly early this year. As we're being hit by a "pollen bomb" this year, I've invested in a powerful air purifier for my bedroom.
blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2022/06/10/a-change-in-the-pollen-season-but-is-it-worse-than-normal/

Excellent idea!

I have cut my grass, hedges and also grown some lovely pollinating flowers this year. My cherry blossom bloomed last month and it was fabulous this year.

You are welcome

It’s a sneezy year to be sure. I thought more to do w tree pollen though. Loads of evidence now of interactions bn tree pollen and air pollution - ditch the car and the gas/oil boiler, OP?
If change is needed then let’s make changes that harm the world less, not more.

OP, I agree but not necessarily for the same reasons. I also get hayfever, have done for over 40 years but thankfully it’s not as severe as it was when I was younger.

However, the policy of not maintaining verges, communal areas, gardens etc, simply makes it look unkempt and reduced visibility at junctions and roundabouts is dangerous.

Having recently travelled from the UK to Belgium via coach, I can honestly say I am embarrassed to be British. Driving through France and Belgium brought home the lack of pride here in the UK; whilst my journey was limited I observed minimal or roadside litter, maintained verges and grass areas, manicured gardens, visible road signs, lots of birds etc.

I am all for protecting insects and birds, but in my opinion this is much more about councils saving money. But it’s shortsighted, amongst other things it encourages more litter, ugliness, a lack of pride, weeds and damage to tarmac, reduces employment and I struggle to see the long term benefits (but happy to be enlightened!).

I'll leave mine long thanks.