What differences could it make to the environment if noone mowed their lawns?

Question

If everybody left their lawn grow long and naturalize. What would the benefits be to local habitats and the environment globally?

We stopped mowing two summers ago and left to naturalize. We now have the most amazing variety of plants, butterflies, insects, birds and small mammals such as foxes, short tailed voles, stoats and weasels. Everything has arrived under its own steam.
The moths, butterflies and insects can complete their whole life cycle. Seed heads are left on to feed the birds in winter.

It is not a monoculture, we have at least eight different types of grasses, foxgloves, creeping buttercup, lesser celandine, cow parsley, alkanet, loads of other species too many to list.

It was difficult not to mow to start as it looked untidy in the first year, but now it is more diverse it feels and looks amazing. We do still mow our front lawn so not to offend the neighbours.

I would love to hear anyone elses experiences of doing this?

Answer 1

there would be far more insects ,but also more of their predators such as birds ,and it would become a fire hazard when long and dry ,not to mention the snakes hiding with in
.
better put a sheep or a goat on the lawn to keep it trimmed ,or make a corral for a poney ,or milk cow

Answer 2

Long grass is a breading ground for Lyme diesease. Garbage would collect in the grass if not cleaned up right away.
Animals could use this long grass for a habitat although they might be injured more easily if someone was to walk across, or the mower came out.

Interesting question though.
The best option is to use a PUSH mower which is powered by humans and not electricity or gas.
Or if you have alot of grass to be cut (acre or so), call a local farmer who may have some sheep, goats or other animals that would clip it down for you.
Yes, you could also use a power mower, but keep it well maintained. I think the animal cutting is by far the most creative idea on the issue.

Keep thinking about our environment and enjoy your lawn.

Amber

Answer 3

While electric lawnmowers are a nice little thing to stop global warming it's not very helpful in the longrun if you still drive a big car everywhere.

I don't think much would happen if you didn't mow your lawn i tried it one summer, nothing happened, but we eventually had to mow it because we got a letter from the city saying it was an eye sore. I think that nothing bad could happen from not mowing your lawn, only good because letting your lawn grow is what is suppose to happen, using a giant spinning blade to cut your grass every week isn't natural.

Answer 4

A monoculture is still a monoculture, but the lawn would require less water, so people would save money and more water would be available for other uses. Best to plant native grasses, fescues and sedges that don't need to be mowed to do look good. They provide better habitat, too.

Answer 5

There are a number of benefits to reduced mowing. First, if people would adjust their mowers to mow the grass even as little as a half inch taller, they could greatly reduce the amount of water it takes to keep their grass alive. This is a simple step that we can all take to conserve our fresh water supply.

The second step people can take is to get their lawnmowers maintenanced at least once a year. Poorly running lawnmowers not only consume more gas, they also pollute much more than properly maintained mowers.

Answer 6

Instead of not mowing at all, a natural approach would be to get an old fashioned, non-motorized push mower. They make them much easier to use now then they used to. No air pollution, no noise pollution and lots of good exercise! If more people did that, it could have a great impact on the environment and local habitats as well.

Kim at: http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com

Answer 7

Two issues;
1-Mowing
2-Fertilizing

1-Not mowing would make more of a fire hazard around houses, and add habitats for small rodents.

2-Fertilizing adds way too much nitrogen into the environment and makes streams and rivers cloudy because it feeds all the bacteria.

I mow my lawn, but I don't fertilize it.

Answer 8

Plenty. But go one step further - replace most of the grass with ground cover plants and landscape beds. They need much less care and no mowing, and they look better too.

Answer 9

It would help the enviroment( the air) tremendously. Of course it would cause safety hazards because of not being able to see snakes and such animals crawling in the grass as you are walkin but we probably would not see anymore holes in the ozone layer.

Answer 10

If no one mowed their lawns with gas mowers then we could all mow our lawns with more peace of mind. I use an electric mover, and can finally breath better as I am mowing and have peace of mind that I am not contributing to air polution any more. :)