There’s Little Science Behind 'No Mow May': Ecologists don’t agree on what makes for the healthiest lawn. And restoring biodiversity requires more than doing less.
There’s Little Science Behind 'No Mow May': Ecologists don’t agree on what makes for the healthiest lawn. And restoring biodiversity requires more than doing less.
Ecologists don't agree on what makes for the healthiest lawn. And restoring biodiversity requires more than doing less.
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Where im at, if I didn't mow until June my lawn would be three feet tall and i'd have several tickets. Still, I don't mow until may, and then just the front for another few weeks.
You want biodiversity? Don't weed, don't spread any pesticides or growth chemicals, and don't let the natural grass go so long it chokes out the other plants. And the real key, is don't do any of those things for years. From the street, my yard looks like a yard. It's a different color than the neighbors, but it's still green. Up close, it's a salad. More violets, Moss, clover, flowers, wild lettuce, and a hundred things I can't identify than grass. Its full of bees, caterpillars, beetles, butterflies, and stick bugs.
I got my neighbor on board, and we're single handedly keeping fireflies alive in the city. I started seeing bugs I haven't seen since I was a kid.
As an added bonus, since it's a smaller proportion grass, I don't have to mow half as often to keep it looking 'nice'.
I'm not an ecologist, but I feel like it's a solid step in the right direction.
You should weed-out the invasives like grass though. Without chemicals, of course.
Nail clippers it is.
Most of the grass i have is different from my neighbors, so I would assume it's some kind of native saw grass. The blades are significantly wider and more coarse.
unfortunately for me the bind-weed and dandelions take over very quickly.
You can fight back against the dandelions by eating them.
Eat them to absorb their powers.
I don't know what bind weed is, but I like dandelions okay. You kind of have to, you're never going to win against them.
Just tell yourself bees like them.
if there is something more insidious and prolific than dandelions, its bind-weed. its a crawling, climbing vine with spade leaves and little purpleish flowers. climbs everywhere and chokes the shit out of everything it covers. the root system goes deep and wide. very hard to get rid of once it takes hold.
I love dandelions!
I think you're dead on. It's an entirely biome dependent luxury. Try that in the swamps and enjoy your den of fauna. I also agree with this article in that having grass of any kind is not inherently bad. It exists the same as any agriculture that has transpositioned across the globe.