Examining ‘No Mow May’

What is “No Mow May” about? The goal is to allow flowers to bloom in your lawn that benefit pollinators. Bees are coming out of hibernation and need sources of food according to University of Minnesota. The flowers coming into bloom are dandelions, white clover and creeping Charlie. All plants that we really would rather get out of our lawns. However, if you allow them to bloom and then mow before the seeds start setting on the plant, then you can control some of their spread.

In 2019 “No Mow May” started in the United Kingdom by Plantlife, a conservation charity. Their mission was to “secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi” for the health of the environment according to Morgan Noll in his article titled, “Here’s What to Know About the ‘No Mow May’ Movement.”

The truth of the matter is there were studies done about reduced mowing frequency for the entire growing season. According to a Massachusetts study, lawns mowed very two weeks had the highest bee abundance compared to weekly mowing and mowing every three weeks, despite the lawns mowed every three weeks having the greatest abundance of flowers.

Reduced mowing is not just great for bees, but an increase in arthropod abundance. Another interesting finding was a lower abundance of ‘pest species’ in lawns with reduced mowing schedules. 

Once you start mowing again, be sure to raise your mower height to 3.5, or if your mower allows, to 4 inches. By taking off a 1/3 of the grass blade at one time, you reduce the stress on the grass. Waiting for your grass to get to be 5.25 inches tall by mowing at 3.5 inches is taking 1/3 of the blade off at one time.