To Mow or Not to Mow…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

I never knew about “No Mow May” I saw someone in our neighborhood post a “
No Mow May’ sign in their front yard.

Curious, I did some research.

“No Mow May” has its’ roots in Great Britain to a group known as “Plantlife”.

They’re the global voice for wild plants and fungi.

The concept behind “No Mow May” is to let your lawn grow and thus provide food for pollinators.

By the end of May, I could barely see the “No Mow in May” sign in this neighbor’s yard.

Now, several years ago, I had a neighbor who practiced a “No Mow” spring and summer.

I was okay with that until a trip to my back yard turned up several ticks on my pant legs.

We also noted a few more snakes in our back yard.

A coincidence?

Now, I didn’t notice an abundance of bees at this time but ticks concerned me.

Since then, this neighbor has a guy mow her lawn every week or so and we’ve been tick-free.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

Why didn’t I offer to mow the neighbor’s yard?

If I was asked, I probably would have.

A few of us did a group mow or two but frankly, there are times I can barely keep pace with my own lawn care and other household duties.

Call me old-fashioned but I think owning a home caries certain responsibilities beyond making a house payment.

So, if you can’t take care of those tasks, you need to get someone else to handle that work.

Now, this “No Mow May” thing sounds noble enough and perhaps, that’s why the city of Appleton, Wisconsin adopted the concept in 2020.

It became permanent policy in 2022.

But.

The Wisconsin concept was based on research conducted by a city resident who was also a university professor.

Soon, some said this study was “bunk” and in April of this year, news stories came out in Appleton saying the city might consider abandoning the “No Mow May” policy.

Several other studies from Midwestern Universities suggest complete “No Mow Mays” are somewhat counter-productive.

Turf grass manager studies say pollinators actually do increase if you mow every two weeks but when you go beyond that, the bees diminish .

Wanna know why?

They can’t get to the blooms in the lawn since the more aggressive, woody weeds and invasive plants take over.

You see, in a normal May, lawn grass can grow a foot or more and even the best-maintained lawns can have weeds and such that will crop up, given the chance.

Even the turf specialists say mowing every two weeks is fine and setting your mower to a higher setting helps promote a healthier yard.

Now those highly-visible dandelions also don’t contain the tasty nutrients most pollinators need.

My sources say the dandelion pollen is not all that good for the bees folks are attemtping to save.

Dandelions are the “junk food” for pollinators.

That’s where clover comes in.

There are some homeowners who don’t like clover in their yards.

Even after mowing, I still see white clover flowers in the yard, along with honeybees flitting from blossom to blossom.

I like clover because it can stand up to dry weather quite well an d maintain its’ “green-ness”.

What really tickled me when I researched “No Mow May”, I was actually years ahead of the concept.

Looking at a way to save mowing time, I tilled up large areas of the yard, mulched it, and planted flowering trees and perennials in those areas.

I even have a healthy crop of milkweed plants in one of these “butterfly gardens” as I call them.

I still mow regularly, with flowering clover in the yard and my non-mowed butterfly gardens.

Most neighbors would probably say I have a pretty nice-looking lawn.

But this concept wasn’t born out of an environmental concern.

I just wants to cut down on mowing time.

Now, the “Now Mow May” gang is pushing “Let it Bloom in June”.

My daylilies and Hostas have already been flowering, along with the clover and we have bees buzzing about.

So I’m already ahead of you “No Mow May” folks.

Been doin’ my version of that for more than 25 years.

And, by the way, if you’re a true “No Mow May” supporter, shouldn’t that be the entire yard and just not up front for your social statement?

Just asking.