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"No Mow May" trend: why you shouldn't mow the lawn in May

30.4.2024

Translation: machine translated

Hardly any food, few nesting opportunities: "Mower-free May" is intended to counteract this and support insect biodiversity. All you have to do is ditch the lawnmower. You can find out which models you should use outside of May from an ecological point of view here.

Doing good by doing nothing - that's how you could describe the principle of "No Mow May". The trend originated in the UK in 2019. This year, the nature conservation organisation "Plantlife" called for people to leave their lawnmowers at home in May. While the movement is gradually gaining traction in Germany, it is still relatively unknown in Switzerland. However, there are many reasons for a mower-free month.

Biological diversity by stopping mowing

A neatly trimmed lawn may be a feast for the eyes, but it does little for the environment. On the one hand, every mowing kills numerous small animals: either because they are cut up or because they die in the grass catcher. Secondly, insects lose habitat on low-cut meadows. Taller grass provides nesting sites for caterpillars, larvae and grasshoppers. Weeds, dandelions and daisies provide them with food. Stopping mowing in spring is therefore important for biological diversity. According to studies, this multiplies the number of nectar-rich flowers many times over. So if you want to support biodiversity in your garden, you should make friends with wild growth.

Small islands and the right equipment also help

Can't keep your hands off the lawnmower? Then you should at least set up a small wildlife island in your garden for bees, butterflies, grasshoppers and the like. Even small areas can help. Just four square metres of wild growth can be transformed into an oasis for insects: This was shown by a two-year study by the University of Sussex. In the first year alone, the four-square-metre wildflower island attracted 109 per cent more bumblebees, 24 per cent more bees and 126 more individual wasps, among other things.

You can also show consideration for the inhabitants of green spaces when choosing a mowing tool - even beyond May. To do this, you can use beam mowers or brushcutters. Unlike rotary mowers, these models do not suck in insects during use. The "GE-CT 18 Li Solo" from Einhell, for example, is particularly popular in the shop. In addition to good cutting performance, our users also praise how "light" and "handy" the model is.

Einhell GE-CT 18 Li Solo (Plastic knives)

Lawn trimmers

EUR53,30

Einhell GE-CT 18 Li Solo

Plastic knives

By the way: brushcutters are also good for slightly taller grass - just in case your garden has turned into a jungle after "No Mow May".

Header image: Sergey and Marina Pyataev/Shutterstock

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Maike Schuldt-Jensen

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Maike.Schuldt-Jensen@galaxus.de

Cat lady and coffee lover from up north. Always on the lookout for «News and Trends».

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"No Mow May" trend: why you shouldn't mow the lawn in May

Biological diversity by stopping mowing

Small islands and the right equipment also help

36 comments

36 comments

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