Faced with global warming and periods of drought encountered in recent years, the maintenance of the lawn of our gardens must be rethought. For those who remain attached to their grassy flower bed, more virtuous alternative maintenance practices exist.
Beyond the aesthetics of the grass, it is above all the ecological plan that questions. After a few years of awareness, the common ambition to promote the protection of biodiversity on its own scale, including through its garden, has accelerated. Helene Martin-Quennehen, eco-manager, president of ViVERT, and member of Unep explains how to maintain your lawn while thinking about our planet.
What height for a more ecological mowing?
Maintaining your lawn is an art that is not just about pushing a mower! Although generally recommended every 15 days or even every month, no frequency is really imposed when it comes to mowing. If you have to remember only one piece of advice, you should prefer high mowing in any season, during a heat wave or not. To preserve a green meadow over time, it is recommended never to go below 10 centimeters, at the risk of exposing the soil to more intense warming (especially in the middle of summer). The denser the vegetation on the ground, the more it will be able to capture and preserve its freshness and moisture.
What are the greener mowing techniques?
Mulching
In recent years, new lawn-mowing practices have emerged. Among them, mulching - or Grasscycling. This technique consists of mowing your green spaces without picking up, by finely grinding the grass and then depositing it again on your lawn, in the form of natural mulch.
This method, made possible by a mulching mower, can be used in both an ecological and practical approach. On the one hand, it allows the grass to feed itself thanks to its own waste, thus creating a virtuous and natural circle in the garden. On the other hand, for sloths, this technique will no longer require picking up or throwing away green waste, and compensating for the shortages with fertilizers, since they will find their use on-site.
There is also an advantage over time: mulching allows you to keep your lawn for up to five years, two years longer than with conventional mowing in a bin. However, to guarantee its benefits, mowing should not be carried out in wet weather, at the risk of fermenting the freshly mowed lawn.
Reasoned or differentiated mowing
It is also advisable to opt for reasoned (or differentiated) mowing. This method aims to have a lawn that looks as natural and flourishing as possible, and therefore more welcoming to biodiversity. This consists of less frequent mowing, not exceeding 8-10 centimeters, focusing only on frequented spaces.
Reasoned mowing allows the grass to resist droughts, more easily, thanks to a natural and regular supply of water to the earth. However, it will be necessary to mow the grass if the tops are too high to avoid straw fires.
How to mow to preserve biodiversity?
For those who have a large garden, favor mowing from the center to the outside of the chosen area. Thus, the local fauna - small mammals and/or birds - that may have settled there will not be caught off guard and will take advantage of a way out to settle elsewhere.
How to reuse your mowing waste in an eco-responsible way?
We must see the green waste from mowing differently! Do not hesitate to recycle them in a compost bin. The circle is then closed; The compost will produce a natural fertilizer to use for the lawn. Two tips for a successful compost: promote its installation in a shaded and hidden area and finally, frequently stir organic waste to promote the conservation of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium).
Always in the spirit of reasoned maintenance of his lawn, the mulching of herbs is another process. The grass from mower bins can also be used as mulching at the feet of plants. However, it will be necessary to take some precautions: spread the grass for a week to extract the first juices (mainly nitrogen) and avoid the production of heat during decomposition. Thus, we will avoid any risk of burning the roots of plants.
The benefits of mulching are manifold: a cooling of the soil (thanks to its water retention), a better growth of plants, and an improvement in the nutritional quality of the soil thanks to the conservation of nutrients and an increase in microbial life and fauna of the soil.
It should be noted that the treatment of biowaste will become a major issue in the coming months in France: from 2024, the sorting at the source of biodegradable waste (fruits, vegetables, plants) will become mandatory for individuals. The grass is ultimately a complex ecosystem on your doorstep!
How to densify grass in a more eco-responsible way?
If densifying grass is the order of the day, it is better to set your sights on clover rather than on the so-called 'classic' lawn. Kikuyu, Sedum, dwarf clover bench, or red are perfect to fill vacant spaces, preferably to be planted in autumn. The latter is a more ecological option because they require less water, and are more adaptable to soil characteristics and local climatic conditions.
ADOPT DIFFERENTIATED MOWING
This is the solution most commonly subscribed to by green space services. It consists in varying the cutting frequencies of the different surfaces according to their use.
Lawn 5 to 7 cm high: it can require 20 to 24 mowing per year! This regime is only necessary for sports fields and "prestige" lawns. Such a short pruning makes the grass very sensitive to drying out in summer and ruthlessly destroys small surface fauna: spiders, ground beetles, snails, and crickets are sucked up by the machine.
A lawn of 7 to 10 cm: counts 8 to 12 mowing per year, sufficient for an ordinary lawn and children's playground.
9 to 20 cm grass: make 5 to 10 mowing per year, avoiding the period from early May to mid-July during which many ground-nesting species breed. This practice also allows low plants to bloom: clover, daisy, horned lotus, and yarrow...
Late mowing: only one mowing per year between late August and early October for a very natural effect of a flowering meadow whose seeds can ripen and reseed.
Our advice: So that the highest areas of your garden do not seem abandoned, regularly cut the borders and paths by connecting strategic points. Carve your lawn instead of just mowing it!
Robot or classic lawn mower?
The robot: Autonomous, it recharges itself in electricity and works silently day and night. To function well, it must mow often, cutting a small height of grass that will be sprayed invisibly. Also, do not imagine letting the grass grow beyond 5 to 6 cm.
The mower: Electric or thermal, it offers greater cutting heights, from 7 to 10 cm maximum, which allows the grass to grow up to 20 cm if it is not very dense. For higher grass, a wire brush cutter (on wheels for large areas) is more appropriate.
The alternative: We still make excellent fakes! Once you know how to use it, it's a real pleasure, the secret being to work little by little over several days. Insects and other useful critters have time to escape.
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