Coming out of No Mow April, you may be curious as to best practices of lawn mowing for pollinators and insects during the rest of the year. You’ll be happy to know that a “less is more” approach to mowing can continue all summer long. If you allow your lawn to grow longer by mowing less frequently throughout the season, you enable lawn flowers to flourish. This in turn supports a variety of pollinating insects as they collect the nectar and pollen of these flowers.

College Park’s current height limit on lawns is 12 inches, so this is your official invitation to kick back and wait a few weeks longer than you normally would between mows this summer, especially into July as everything gets hotter and drier. If you are slow-mow curious, you can start by raising your mower deck to the highest or second-highest setting (around 3-4 inches) during summer months. Longer grass helps your lawn and soil to retain moisture and is better for the long-term health of your lawn. Also leaving some clippings can also help to retain moisture.

This is also better for your grass! There’s so much data out there that suggests that if you let your lawn grow taller, you will create a deeper root system and create a more resilient lawn. That will also mean you’re mowing less frequently, and as an added benefit, you’re reducing your carbon footprint by not firing up your lawn mower as often.

Embrace your inner butterfly or bumblebee this summer, stop and smell the flowers, and indulge in a slow-mow summer.