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No Mow May!

 

Resilient Roots recommends that you relax this May and let your lawn grow without mowing.  This practice began a few years ago in England and has since been growing across the United States providing real benefits to our environment and the food we eat.

 

Why is No Mow May Important?

 

Supporting the Pollinators that Provide Our Food - Allowing a lawn to grow and bloom provides important food for bees and other pollinators that are emerging from hibernation in May.  Research conducted at Lawrence University on lawns in Appleton, Wisconsin showed that were five times more bees on a lawn that has been allowed to mature through the spring as compared to a lawn that is mowed every week. (https://beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/ ).  

 

Supporting the bees and hummingbirds strengthens the entire food chain as so many plants need to be pollinated to grow seeds, berries, fruits, and other foods. This is vital for so many animals that exist in our local ecosystems.  It is also extremely vital for humans.  About one third of the food we eat is from plants that need to be pollinated.

 

Improving the Health of our Lawns –  Letting your lawn grow in the spring builds the health of the root system and provides more food as the taller plants have more area for photosynthesis which allows it build a stronger, more resilient roots system.. The lawn is then better able to withstand the heat and drought that can occur later in the season.

 

Protecting our Water Quality – A taller, healthier lawn does not need to be fertilized, especially if the mowed grass, and the leaves that fall on the lawn are mulched into the grass. This natural fertilization eliminates the need to apply chemical fertilizers that impact our drinking water, freshwater ponds, and coastal estuaries.  

 

Minimizing Climate Impacts – Reducing the time spent on mowing our lawns cuts down on the greenhouse gases and other pollutants released from our mowers. This may not be a large source of emissions, but everything we can do to protect our climate is important.  And having a healthy lawn promotes the sequestration of carbon in our soil. 

 

Enjoy Spring this year and take the time you’d spend mowing doing something more enjoyable.  Its an important way to improve our environment here on Cape Cod.