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boisdevie1

Not mowing my lawn to encourage diversity?

I want to leave a lawn uncut to encourage wildflowers. How can I go about doing this? I assume I can't just stop mowing it? It's in pretty good shape at the moment - not too many weeds.
12Bore

Mow, scarify, seed if needed, I'd keep mowing until the desired plants start to show - to reduce the competition a bit.
Rob R

Re: Not mowing my lawn to encourage diversity?

I want to leave a lawn uncut to encourage wildflowers. How can I go about doing this? I assume I can't just stop mowing it? It's in pretty good shape at the moment - not too many weeds.


Introduce some, for a start. If you can get some biodiverse hay, full of seeds, you can spread it on the lawn, the timing is good around now, conveniently. Then leave, cut again after July next year. You could graze it in January, but that might not be practical.

Alternatively you can buy wildflower seed online, but it will cost more.
NorthernMonkeyGirl

If it's a "nice" lawn then it's almost certainly too well nourished to support pretty wildflowers, if you just leave it you'll get docks, nettles etc. You need to keep cutting the grass and taking away the cuttings to reduce nutrient levels.
Then add seeds/hay as well, it's a bit of a juggling act between battering the grass without losing too much wildlfower seed.
You could consider yellow rattle seed depending on your soil type, it is a parasite of grass and IIRC you sow it around now to start growing next spring?
Nick

The DIY shops and even the coop over here are selling bags of grass seed with wild flowers such as poppies and cornflowers in currently. If these are useful, I can investigate. I'm coming to france in a month,not near you, but I can bring them across the channel and post, if it makes sense.

Presumably, you could also get them in France. Yell if I can help.
Cathryn

You might find that you can just leave it. I left a front lawn of mine and after a season it started to grow beautiful wild flowers. I remember mallow and the big daisies in particular. I have photos of my children when they were small lost among them.

I also had lovely neighbours who were always there for me, one of whom very kindly took to mowing it regularly for me and cutting the privet hedges into immaculate straight lines (privet has lovely flowers that the bees adore). I was sad for the flowers but he was far to kind to say anything to.
buzzy

I agree with NMG. Cut and remove cuttings as often as you can. You need to reduce the nutrient level.

After a couple of years see if you can get some seed from a local meadow that you like the look of. A couple of bags of late cut 'hay' should do the trick. Spread this about and see what happens. I don't believe that there is a quick fix.

Henry
NorthernMonkeyGirl

There is a quick fix - but it involves glyphosating the entire thing and seeding with bought-in wildflower seed Confused
Rob R

The other quick fix is to support those with existing wildflower meadows... Wink
buzzy

There is a quick fix - but it involves glyphosating the entire thing and seeding with bought-in wildflower seed Confused


You'd still need to reduce the fertility, I suspect.

Henry
Rob R

A bit far from the OP, perhaps, but if anyone further North wants a bit of wildflower action... NorthernMonkeyGirl

A bit far from the OP, perhaps, but if anyone further North wants a bit of wildflower action...

Damnit, I work Wednesdays :'(
Rob R

A bit far from the OP, perhaps, but if anyone further North wants a bit of wildflower action...

Damnit, I work Wednesdays :'(

Say you've got hay fever Wink
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