If you want to join the no-mow movement, here are some pointers to get you started: It’s adaptable to any part of the country and offers gardeners an infinite range of design possibilities. Of the four main no-mow strategies, Osann says, native or naturalized landscaping is likely your best option. (According to the National Gardening Association, one in three families now grows some portion of the food they consume.) Making the ChangeĪ successful lawn conversion depends on climate, terrain, and of course individual taste. These no-mow yards fall into four categories: 1) naturalized or unmowed turf grass that is left to grow wild 2) low-growing turf grasses that require little grooming (most are a blend of fescues) 3) native or naturalized landscapes where turf is replaced with native plants as well as noninvasive, climate-friendly ones that can thrive in local conditions and 4) yards where edible plants-vegetables and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs-replace a portion of turf. But we want to encourage people to think about whether there are places in their yards that can be converted to allow for a more diverse and sustainable landscape.” The No-Mow MovementĪ growing number of homeowners are converting part or all of their lawns to a less thirsty form of landscape. “We’re not declaring war on turf or suggesting that we remove every square foot of it. He adds that eradication of all grass isn’t the goal. “We’re on the cusp of a transition that will likely take place over the next 10 to 15 years, away from the conformity of mowed turf,” says Ed Osann, senior policy analyst and water efficiency project director with NRDC’s Water program.
Luckily, today more Americans are ready for a change.
And then, of course, lawn mowers can pollute the air. This can poison fish and other aquatic animals and harm humans who swim, surf, and eat seafood that may be contaminated. Likewise, rainwater runoff from lawns can carry pesticides and fertilizers into rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans via the sewer system. Birds, for instance, may ingest berries and seeds that have absorbed pesticides from the ground. In fact, these lawns can do substantial harm to the environment and to both vertebrates and insects. You may also know that turf grass, however welcoming it looks for our bare feet, provides virtually no habitat for pollinators and other animals and plants that make up a healthy, diverse ecosystem. Every year across the country, lawns consume nearly 3 trillion gallons of water a year, 200 million gallons of gas (for all that mowing), and 70 million pounds of pesticides. But all that competition has a devastating environmental impact. In a case of taking “the grass is always greener” a bit too literally, American homeowners have long strived to make their lawns brighter, lusher, and more velvety than their neighbors’.
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