Because lawns are fucking stupid.
Comment on it's true!
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Why is it someone hasn’t modified the dna of grass to give us one that has both deep roots and works like lawn grass on top.
the_q@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Jarix@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Context is important. I grew up on 5 acres of pretty wild land so the lawn around the house was anything but fucking stupid.
Have kids a place to play in view of the big windows in the house, was a very very small part of the overall land and have us room to play.
In more suburban or urban environments is a completely different discussion I will grant you
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
That, and I can’t help that my brain is wired to enjoy looking at a well kept lawn. It just is. Though I also like forest. Wish I could have both.
BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
I doubt think it’s a DNA problem, the amount of roots depends on the amount of leaves.
So keeping the grass short keeps the roots sorry as well
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
But why? Roots act as energy storage, so once full, grow more. Not full stop. That should lead to pretty decent roots.
Jarix@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
There are prairie grass stains that have very deep roots. Not sure how they act as a replacement for typical lawns but they exist already
stray@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
Because releasing genetically modified organisms into the wild can have absolutely disastrous consequences on an ecosystem. I think there are cases where the benefits are worth the risks, but pretty lawn is not one of them. Might be nice in the future when we have a better grasp on what we’re doing.
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Thats a great talking point, but it is BS. Humans have been genetically modifying organsims through selective breeding for millenia. Any animal or plant you eat is nothing like it natural origin.
stray@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
When you said “modify the DNA”, I thought you were referring to genetic modification in a laboratory, which is capable of enacting dramatic change in a single generation, including unintentional changes. Selective breeding enacts mild iterative changes over a long period of time, and is therefore much less risky.
PokerChips@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
And they also have plenty of issues.
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And yet, not disastrous.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 3 weeks ago
As others have said, the size of roots is pretty directly tied to the size of foliage. Roots store energy(calories) in case something happens to the foliage or sunlight is low. The more energy they can take in, the more storage they need, as well as the stability that larger plants need from larger roots.
But how do you keep feeding the larger roots if the photosynthetic engines have giving them energy have been damn near removed?
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Hm, this doesn’t fit. You are saying the roots store energy in case the foliage is lost, then saying the roots can’t exist without the foliage. Which is it? I get that they are energy storage. So the foliage in all plants must generate an excess of energy to fill the storage. That should mean that once the storage is full, extra energy can be spent to extend the roots, then fill with energy, rinse repeat.
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
It makes perfect sense. When the foliage is cut, it takes energy to regrow it. If there’s not enough greens or sunlight for photosynthesis to account for the plant’s total needs, it will draw those nutrients from the roots into the rest of the plant.
And there’s a whole lot of other things going on in the soil around roots as well. For example the interrelationships between plants and microbes has a tendency to start with the roots exuding sugars into the soil in order to attract those microbes. And that’s just a start. I think it’s really interesting stuff. If you wanna learn more, Regenerative Soil by Matt Powers is a fantastic book on the subject.
Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It is really interesting stuff. But it doesn’t explain why the roots can’t be bigger. You can take a small power source and charge a big battery or a small battery. It just takes longer for the big battery.