Hi everyone! As April is ending, and we welcome in what it will hopefully be a sunny spring May, I wanted to talk to you about an initiative you can participate in to help pollinators beneficial insects in the environment. And that is "No Mow May."
By participating you can do more by actually doing less. So, the idea is not to mow or cut your grass for the whole month of May, which allows for wildflowers to bloom and give early diversity to your lawn. Like we mentioned last time, early spring is a very important time for pollinators, and it is often the time when resources are the most limited.
Letting those dandelions and other quote unquote weeds bloom for a few weeks is like having your own pollinator drive through with nice big juicy cheeseburgers providing an early burst of energy and nutrition for insects that are just waking up from their long winter naps.
Many studies have shown that reducing the frequency of mowing brings more diversity in terms both of insect and plant life to your yard, which is better for the environment overall and better for your home gardens and ornamental plants. It also reduces emissions into our Utah air during a time when it is most critical.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency gas powered lawnmowers alone account for more than 5% of air pollution in the United States. Not mowing for a month also benefits your lawn, the longer the grass grows on top, the longer the roots will grow below.
These deeper roots will lead to a much healthier lawn that is more drought and disease resistant, which in turn leads to less need to water throughout the summer and a better-looking lawn overall. After the month of May or just before you start to see dandelions or other flowers going to seed is a good time to start that mower backup.
Getting the lawn back under control can be challenging. In some cases, you can start with the weed whacker to trim things down a bit before mowing or start with mower blades at a high setting and gradually mow back down to your desired length.
If you want to participate, enjoy your break from mowing. Talk to your neighbors and friends about it and let's see how much participation we can get this year.
