GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The end of May is fast approaching, and with it comes the end of "No Mow May."
No Mow May is a movement encouraging homeowners to not mow their lawns for a month to create a hospitable environment for bees and other pollinators. Green Bay is one of the local communities participating in No Mow May this year.
With No Mow May coming to an end on May 31, the city of Green Bay is reminding participants to cut their lawns starting June 1.
The city is also offering residents a few pointers to take care of their overgrown lawns:
- Adjust the mower to the highest setting first, then cut your lawn. Then adjust your mower setting to regular and cut your lawn again.
- Don't cut grass more than 1/3 of grass blade at a time.
- Do not mow or blow grass clippings into the street.
Grass clippings can be composted with other yard waste if you maintain a home compost pile or compost bin. Also, the city says grass clippings can be used as a mulch layer in gardens and flower beds.
Residents may bring grass clippings to either City yard waste site:
• West Side Yard Waste Site, 1470 Hurlbut Street
• East Side Yard Waste Site, 2530 East Shore Drive
Plantlife, a British conservation charity, started the No Mow May initiative. In 2020, Israel Del Toro and Relena Ribbons, professors at Lawrence University, worked with the Common Council of Appleton to adopt No Mow May there.
Studying the effects of No Mow May on bees in Appleton, they found that the 435 homes in the no-mow project had five times the number of bees and three times more bee species than mown areas did.
