Our home tranquillity, and garden time is often disturbed by the roaring (unpleasant) noise of lawn mowers in the gardens around us. In addition, frequent mowing creates grasslands that are extremely poor and depleted of nutrients. So, what can we do to reduce the noise pollution caused by lawn mowers while creating more diverse gardens?
We can petition for the municipality to permit only the use of quieter and less air-polluting electric lawn mowers in settlements, and restricting the use of petrol-based ones. We can also try to ensure that the noisy type lawn mowers can only be used at certain times of the week, or if a regulation already exists, we can strive to enforce it. Furthermore, we can learn to share these products amongst each other so that not everyone has to buy a separate machine. Alternatively to lawn mowers, we can also use manual force: a sickle, a scythe or even a sliding hand mower.
Another option, if you have the possibility, is to use the help of animals: for example grazing goats, sheep and donkeys. You can also use a “chicken tractor” or a “rabbit tractor”: the point is to move a closed cage across the garden so that the animals eventually consume the grass in all corners of the yard.
Furthermore, we can sow a mixture of seeds to create a species-rich wildflower meadow in our garden. With less mowing or no mowing at all, we can further allow bees and other pollinators to thrive and provide habitat for other animal species. A higher lawn also retains soil moisture better. Last but not least, we can save valuable time by cutting the grass less often.
By planting trees, bushes and other perennials, or by creating a kitchen garden, we can also reduce the area of lawn to be cared for.
Most of the above methods can equally be used in public areas and parks alike.
Let’s look for other solutions instead of noisy mowing, or even completely abandon it!
