By Scott McIntaggart, Master Gardener in Training, SCMG
“No Mow May” is a catchy title, chosen by a group in the United Kingdom know as Plantlife. Its premise was to encouraged people to stop mowing their lawns during the month of May. It was felt that by not mowing one’s lawn for the month would encourage flowers in the lawn to mature and bloom thus providing a food source and natural habitat for early season pollinators. It sounds like a great initiative with good intension however it’s a little more complicated than that.
The issue here is that most lawns do not contain meadow flowers, in fact the most prolific flowers that grow in our lawns during the month of May are dandelions and white clover. Bee research shows that dandelion pollen is not overly nutritious for pollinating bees because it lacks essential amino acids necessary for their health. As students of horticulture we know that the dandelion is the king of all weeds. Each plant can produce up to ten flowers annually and each flower can contain up to two hundred seeds. That calculates to 2,000 seedlings from each plant floating around our neighborhoods looking for a place to land and grow. Far too often these seedlings establish themselves in our lawns or perennial flower beds choking out plants and flowers that may have greater nutritional value for the pollinators.
White Clover however, provides both beneficial nutrients for pollinators and nitrogen for the soil. The soil nitrogen naturally fertilizes the turfgrass in which it co-habitats with the white clover. The good news here is that white clover is a low growing plant so ‘No Mow May’ does not have to be practiced to provide an environment for white clover to thrive. Merely by mowing the lawn at regular intervals at a height of 3 inches will keep the clover intact and provide nutritional support for the pollinators all season long.
In spring and particularly in May, grasses grow very rapidly often requiring frequent mowing to keep them at a reasonable length. Mowing one’s grass at regular intervals promotes both lawn health and weed prevention. If left uncut, grass (and weeds) can easily grow up to a foot tall. At this height, the grass can quickly outgrow other plants in gardens and surrounding areas, resulting in hiding flowers that might have greater nutritional value to the early pollinators.
Grass left to grow 12 inches long present challenges for most lawnmowers. To tackle grass at this length, sheers or trimmers must to be used to initiate the process. The grass will require at least three cuttings at regular intervals in order to get it to the recommended length of 3 inches. Research tells us that in order to keep lawns healthy that one should not remove more than one-third of the grass blade length with each cutting. If one attempts to cut the grass from 12 to 3 inches in one cutting you run the risk of stressing, killing or creating a patchy lawn which is more susceptible to weed proliferation. Leaving a lawn to grow for a month can promote typical lawn weeds such as creeping Charlie, violet, clover and dandelions all of which provide some source of food for pollinators (some with limited nutritional value), however what happens at months end when mowing resumes and the food supply dries up and the habitat disappears . The
literature indicates that pollinators communicate with each other and share food sources and locations which they repeatedly return to. If the food source or habitat disappears the pollinator wastes valuable time and energy searching out these sources that no longer exist.
As one can see there are not a lot of beneficial attributes to No Mow May. The movement however has been a catalyst in helping people understand the importance of pollinators, and their vitality to our food supply. Some alternatives to No Mow May have been proposed. They include Mow -Less May, June, July, August, September, October etc. Here it is proposed that instead of weekly mowing, mowing every 10 to 14 days. The literature supports that longer lawns not only allow clover to thrive but promote deeper grass roots, which help to create a more draught tolerant lawn. Additionally taller grasses shades weed seeds from germination. Mowing less is also environmentally friendly in that less fuel consumption equates to less emissions particularly when using gas powered mowers.
Other initiatives include decreasing lawn size and actually creating new pollinating gardens containing a mixture of trees, perennials, and shrubs that attract pollinators from early spring to late fall. It is recommended that these gardens contain spring flowering bulbs that offer pollinators an early source of nectar and pollen.
No Mow May, may not be the most appropriate or practical solution in promoting early food sources and habitats for pollinators. It’s concept however should serve to inspire us to think outside the box as to how we can construct gardens and landscapes that provide such sanctuaries. The end goal being the establishment of mini ecosystems where pollinators live and thrive so that we all can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
References:
- 1) Bailey, M. (Global News 2023). Does “No Mow May’ actually help bees? A master gardener and professor weigh in. https://www/msn.com/en- ca/news/canada/does-no-mow-may-actual..
- 2) Kinzler, D. (May 11, 2024). Lifestyle. Kinzler: “No Mow May” is it not all it’s cracked up to be. https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/kinzler-no-mow-may- is-not-all-it…
3) Martens Forney, J. What is No-Mow May and Is It a Good Idea?https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/landscaping-and-hardscaping/what-i…
