Blog Elements - Turf Matters

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?: The popularity of the environmental movement ‘No Mow May’ is growing like a damp lawn in the summer sun. According to organisers Plantlife, the annual movement is aimed at providing a feast for pollinators, tackling pollution, reducing urban heat extremes, and sequestering atmospheric carbon in the […]

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lesley Spence

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary: Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), the dedicated distributor of Rain Bird products to the UK golf market is celebrating six years of partnership. OAS is a leading supplier to the UK amenity, turf, and sports markets and specialises in leading-edge irrigation solutions. Its dedicated team of irrigation […]

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lesley Spence

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Admin

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?: The popularity of the environmental movement ‘No Mow May’ is growing like a damp lawn in the summer sun.

According to organisers Plantlife, the annual movement is aimed at providing a feast for pollinators, tackling pollution, reducing urban heat extremes, and sequestering atmospheric carbon in the soil.

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

As well as those vital pollinators, the campaign attracts its fair share of supporters, celebrity and otherwise.

Chris Packham recently took to social media to encourage his followers to buy his No Mow May t-shirts, and councils the length and breadth of Britain are clamouring to highlight their involvement with the initiative to bolster their environmental credentials with an easy win.

But does the annual campaign actually do any good for the environment and encourage an increase in pollinator numbers? Or is it just another example of greenwashing, something that makes people think they are doing good but in reality, has little real impact?

What’s in a lawn?

As someone who has specialised in growing turf for almost 40 years, grass is something of an obsession for me.

What I have learned in that time is that just letting a lawn grow out for a few weeks in spring rarely, if ever, leads to the ‘wildflower’ effect Plantlife seems to suggest in the images on its website.

So, what actually happens if you don’t cut your grass during May? The answer to this depends largely on what’s in your lawn to begin with.

If it’s been there a very long time and has not been treated to remove ‘weeds’, there is a chance that other species will emerge as a result of reduced mowing, leading to an increase in biodiversity in your lawn.

This, in turn, may well increase the number of insects that visit your garden during May, including those all-important pollinators.

However, even if this is the case, do not expect the emergence of a bright, multi-coloured, wildflower meadow effect, as so much of the marketing material appears to imply.

A few dandelions and daisies might come through, adding a welcome splash of colour, as well as some clovers, but anything beyond this is unlikely to materialise simply by leaving your grass alone.

This scenario also doesn’t represent the majority of lawns in the UK. Most are established by laying a modern cultivated turf that contains a dense mixture of dwarf perennial ryegrasses and fescues. Left to grow out, they simply get longer and stragglier while trying to put up seed heads.

Not a pretty sight and no biodiversity increase at all. After all, these turf mixtures are designed to be mown regularly and look neat and pristine with perfect stripes, not to increase insect numbers.

Raising awareness?

Of course, many might argue that despite creating few tangible benefits for wildlife, No Mow May drives awareness of biodiversity loss and that has to be a good thing.

Well, perhaps, but by positioning it as the solution, it may well do the opposite of what it is trying to achieve.

After all, those taking part will get to the end of May thinking they have done their bit for wildlife when in fact nothing significant has been achieved. Worse still, they then cut the lawn, immediately undoing any benefits that were achieved.

Improve biodiversity by improving biodiversity

So, if it’s time to say no to No Mow May, what can people do to improve biodiversity in their gardens and provide a home for wildlife?

The answer is in the question. If you want to increase the variety of creatures attracted to your garden, start by increasing the variety of plants in your garden.

Use the margins of your lawn to produce a full wildflower effect, which can be achieved via a wildflower turf or by sowing wildflower seeds. Or, for those who want to go a step further, replacing your lawn with a species-rich turf that includes a blend of hardy grasses and wildflowers to create a truly biodiverse area.

Not only will this be great for pollinators, but it will still stand up to the daily rigours of being walked on and having children ride bikes and play on it.

Time to mix up the monocrop lawn?

So, while no more No Mow May might be a good first step, perhaps a better one would be to mix up the monocrop lawn and replace parts of it with a richer variety of species. You can still have your strips, but giving over part of your garden to an area rich in plants will attract pollinators throughout the whole of the summer.

If everyone with a garden were to do this, perhaps we might truly start to reverse the worsening biodiversity crisis and turn our outdoor spaces into the wildlife havens they have every potential to be.

But that will never be achieved within the tight confines of a single month.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

May 7, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lesley Spence

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary: Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), the dedicated distributor of Rain Bird products to the UK golf market is celebrating six years of partnership.

OAS is a leading supplier to the UK amenity, turf, and sports markets and specialises in leading-edge irrigation solutions. Its dedicated team of irrigation specialists offers national coverage, providing advice on irrigation projects, from upgrades to renovations and new system installations, to system maintenance. This is further complemented by a national team of sales advisors who champion Rain Bird technologies and the ‘Intelligent Use of Water™’.

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

Stocking over 10,000 Rain Bird product lines at its distribution depot in Camberley, OAS has seen unprecedented growth in irrigation sales since the inception of their partnership.

A recent addition to the irrigation product portfolio is CirrusPRO™ Central Control which enables users to securely adjust irrigation settings from any smart device and from any location. It allows users to make updates from the system’s map and watch them happen in real-time. Rain Bird is supporting OAS with customer awareness and training sessions to enable the golf industry to appreciate the significant water, labour, and energy savings this new technology brings. To-date, a series of webinars and on-site demonstrations have taken place, with in-depth training days at the OAS Turf, Science and Technology Centre being planned.

OAS Commercial Director Andy Russell comments, “Rain Bird is the global leader in irrigation, and as a major supplier in the amenity industry, we are delighted to be aligned with yet another market-leading brand. Their corporate ethos and values align closely with our own and their product portfolio complements and enhances our existing product range and strengthens our customer offering. Our working relationship has strengthened over the last six years and is held in high regard. I look forward to what opportunities future Rain Bird plans and developments will bring for the OAS business.”

Jimmy Sandison, Rain Bird Regional Golf Sales Manager adds, “With golf clubs facing challenges from water scarcity to changing legislation, effective, efficient irrigation has never been so important. It’s incredibly important to Rain Bird that our customers receive the support they need to meet these challenges.”

The OAS Irrigation team can be contacted on 0800 138 7222 or email sales.irrigation@originamenity.com. Visit www.originamenity.com for more information.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?

No Mow May? Or mix up the monocrop lawn?: The popularity of the environmental movement ‘No Mow May’ is growing like a damp lawn in the summer sun.

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary

Origin Amenity Solutions and Rain Bird mark sixth anniversary: Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS), the dedicated distributor of Rain Bird products to the UK golf market is celebrating six years of partnership.

RESOURCES

CONTACT

CONNECT