Do you call for an excuse not to mop the lawn ? Save time and vitality by leaving your lawn mower in the garage for just another calendar month . No Mow May is a dandy — and tinker’s dam easy — style to help out our pollinator early on in the season .
You may have heard ofleave the leavesin the tumble . Have you hear of its natural spring sisterNo Mow May ? A similarly cute but effective saying , this is a friendly reminder that it ’s time to keep the lawn mower stashed away in the shed andlet things stay as they arebefore we jump into the garden .
Yes , you ’ll have to permit the melodic theme of having a pristine lawn go . Did you know that lawn originate in 17th - one C England as a style for the wealthy to show off ? Somehow this vogue has become the norm in North America at least .
I reserve a small section of my yard as a lawn for Kiddo and the pup to play in.
Lawns guzzle up waterand nutrients andput in zero feat to encourage biodiversity . But I get that we need to have them as spaces for child and pets to track down around or lay out in the sun for a picnic .
No Mow May allows anyone with a lawn to help oneself out our pollinators with zero effort . Yes , it ’s that easy . get me tell you why .
This post will cover …
What is No Mow May?
No Mow May is when you avoid mowing your lawn until June so thatearly - season pollinators can have a temporary habitat and food source until more plants grow . Founded by the UK charityPlantlifein 2019 , the movement is advance traction in Canada and the US .
By not pout , you ’re helping any wildlife that comes out too soon , especially in its beginning life sentence stages . This includesbees , butterflies , beetles , and otherpollinators that require accession to ambrosia . Just a section of unmowed lawn can assist out a ton .
Besides not mowing lawn , the drill also applies to leaving garden bed alone . In the fall , I encourage you to leave your leaves for overwintering dirt ball and to aliment your garden . It can be tempting to strip it all up in the leap , but await a little longer until temperatures warm up .
Why Should You Participate in No Mow May?
No Mow May pop as a way to help oneself out pollinators . They need food sources early on on in the time of year , andit can be difficult to find flowers with nectar for the former riser pipeline .
No Mow May is an easy manner for people to facilitate out . You are literally encouraged to do nothing!It does n’t get much well-fixed than that .
you’re able to alsoincrease awarenessabout help out pollinator by letting neighbours know why you ’re not pout your lawn or by leaving a star sign out for passerby .
Besides aid out pollinators , it is also near for your garden . As the snow melts , it ensue in a lot of moisture . When we step or grok this stiff soil , we compact it . The more compacted soil is , the less melody there is . multitude do n’t realize how all important tune is for keep back water later on and provide aeration for healthy roots . Instead , you shouldwait until it all melts and has adequately dried .
Leaf litter will help to flow the soil as it go against down . By allowing these cover crop , like clover , to acquire , we’rehelping to nourish the soil .
Plus , plant life likedandelionsare majuscule for mining nutrients up to the top level of dirt .
Letting your lawn grow for a minute will alsomake it more drought - tolerant , deliver you money down the line trying tomaintain a unripened lawnin the hot summertime heat .
How No Mow May Helps Pollinators
Whenever I make out my first bee of the season , I get a little bought of joy . Usually , they ’re slowly spoil along the dry land in hunting of flowers . I consider of them as drowsy from a long snooze in search of a snack .
When you leave a lawn unmowed , you’re leave the luck for flowers to bloom as an early intellectual nourishment source for pollinator . trefoil , dandelion , andvioletsare some of the most mutual flowers to pop up , but there can be many .
AUK studyfound that blossom plants in May haveenough nectar to support 10x the pollinator . Another US field found that lawns mowed every two weeks had a higher amount and diversity of bee .
Most bees are n’t able-bodied to store intellectual nourishment , meaning they want a constant nectar provision from early outpouring to recent fall . With bee populations declining across the globe , we need to help them out as much as we can by ensuring they have these food sources .
Fromladybugsto bees , many insects overwinter in leaf litter and vacuous industrial plant stem . Since they ’re not all inflame up at the same metre , you want toleave the leafage bedding material alone in your garden bed . I actually never touch mine , countenance it to decompose and flow the soil . Plus , any “ mussy ” visual aspect disappears as the plants grow .
What Are the Downsides to No Mow May?
Like all practices , no mow may is n’t perfect . The reality is thatyou need to do more than just check cut down . May also might not be the best calendar month to break mow , depending on where you live .
We also ca n’t ignore thatmost people just do n’t care have mussy lawns . You might get annoyed neighbours pink on your door or even a fine for breaking a bylaw in your area . Even just leave one department unmowed or mowing every two weeks can make a difference .
Grass also grows quickly . If you do n’t mop for a month , make your lawn back in cast might be difficult .
Dandelions are one of the most mutual flower to blossom in a lawn . Despite how they ’re advertised , dandelions are merely an okay food source for bee . But they ’re good than nothing . Ask yourself if you have other pollinator food sources in your garden .
The idea is that you need to helpprovide food sources for your pollinator when things begin to warm up . Period . If you already have early - blooming plant like cherry bloom or heather , you might not demand to pause mowing .
How to Help Out Your Pollinators Year Round
No haymow may is just the tip of the iceberg for what we can do for our pollinators . Here are some other capital approximation and guidelines to follow .
Share this post:
