HugglesJun 15, 2023
Orsi Nyárai

RT @NigelWitham

Mowing became fashionable during the Industrial Revolution when it was how the wealthy showed off they didn't need to grow their own food.

250 years on and manicured lawns are so embedded in our culture that despite the adverse impacts many can't envision any alternatives.

---

Using an infrared thermometer to measure the difference in temperature between mown paths and the unmown areas in my garden.

Jun 13, 2023 at 6:33pmWeb
Show threadmashbooqJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai yeah my HOA will be damned if they don't make us all cut our lawns. It's such a waste of time and CO2 emissions with literally no benefit
Show threadErikJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai @mashbooq Mowing your lawn (and remove the cut grass) is actually good for the biodiversity. Clover and other flowers get a chance, while otherwise you’ll end up with a grass monoculture. But cutting it two or three times a year is enough.
Show threadSteveJun 15, 2023

@erikvanbeek @OrsiNyarai @mashbooq
There is a point in it.
But if we have a drought - do I have to cut the grass 2 cm to the ground and then wonder, that everything will go brown?

Best thing would be to decide on the current situation.

Show threadErikJun 15, 2023
@mashbooq @SteveTux @OrsiNyarai True. We have extreme drought in the Netherlands right now and have had tropical temperatures. I’ve mown a part of my grass in April and won’t do it until there’s rain expected.
I’m lucky that my garden is below sea level and there’s always water in the ditch
Show threadSloanLAJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai This intuitively makes sense, layers of leaves provide shade and I’d imagine small pockets that act like microclimates… is there any extra info on how and why the temps are so drastically different?
Show thread🇪🇺 Paul Schoonhoven 🍋🍉Jun 14, 2023
@SloanLA very simple.. More water to evaporate in long grass and less wind (in the pockets) to blow the cooled air away. 😉
@OrsiNyarai
Show threadChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai When I turned over the very small area of lawn in my front garden 20 years ago, and planted ground covers and a tree, I was told I was " brave". Now there isn't a single other lawn in the street.
Show threadAmber Griffiths HAS MOVED!Jun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai image description #alt4u first pic shows thermometer pointing at mown lawn showing 34.3C and second pic shows it pointing at unmown lawn showing 25.5C
Show threadElz de KorteJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai I'll show it to my French neighbours, because they don't believe me. They even put asphalt on their gravel driveway, not sand, but asphalt 😱
Show threadjsjJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai @ThatIdiotMonro Some of us literally have no choice! My HOA will come after me if my lawn grows too long
Show threadAndreas BrunthalerJun 14, 2023

@OrsiNyarai

@vicgrinberg

We are trying to convince the administration of our institute to let the grass grow, but we are facing quite a bit of resistance and concerns. "It will look messy." " People will think we're lazy." "Grass is supposed to be cut every two weeks."

We made some progress, but some parts were mowed anyway. The result after 4 weeks with almost no rain is shown in the image. Buy at least order was restored. 😀

#biodiversity

Show threadOrsi NyáraiJun 14, 2023
@brunthal @vicgrinberg Don't give up the good fight. It looks so much better and healthier where the grass was spared from mowing. Change of mindset is needed before change of practice...or...maybe the promising results of a new practice could change their mindset? Refer your institute to the inspiring example of University of Cambridge :) https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/kings-wildflower-meadow-a-break-from-the-lawn
A break from the lawn: can an iconic meadow seed wider change?

A new study at King's College, Cambridge reveals the striking benefits of letting lawns go wild. But can others be persuaded to break with a 300-year old social norm?

University of Cambridge
Show threadAndreas BrunthalerJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai
Thanks. That is a great example indeed.
@vicgrinberg
Show threadOssie RinningJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai unmown lawn=unkempt garden=social stigma in the eyes of some. Could be difficult to get over that one in the eyes of the neighbours with bowling green standard gardens
Show threadSteveJun 15, 2023
@chattan @OrsiNyarai
I feel you.
Show threadEmma Byrne PhDJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai ooh! Thank you for this. I almost caved and strimmed my back patch (fnar) but I'll continue to desist!
Show threadAilbheJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai we have clover, which doesn't even grow high enough to interfere with my wheels/crutches. Lawns are amazingly wasteful.
Show threadViktoria D. Richards/UddelhexeJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai Lucky that i am a lazy person. I let it grow most of the time, and enjoy flowers coming up. We mow, but not often, only to keep it in a way, that we can walk on it and play with the dogs. But we have parts that i rarely mow and just let them grow.
The key is: Be lazy 😉
Show threadOrsi NyáraiJun 14, 2023
@v_d_richards You are doing the right thing. Keep on being lazy...nature appreciates it. 😉
Show threadErikJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai Funny. I feel so wealthy because I *can* grow my own food!
Show threadOrsi NyáraiJun 14, 2023
@erikvanbeek You are indeed wealthy and really fortunate to have such a garden. It looks amazing and inspiring! 🙂
Show threadErikJun 14, 2023
@OrsiNyarai Yes we’re really lucky! Im sitting there now. The sounds of the city in the distance and listening to the birds.
Show threadLannan ⛈️Jun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai #AltText: On left is a photo of a thermal "gun" pointed at mown lawn, which reads 34.3 degrees Celsius. On the right is the same thermometer pointed at unmown lawn, which reads 25.5 degrees Celsius.
Show threadSteveJun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai
Sadly, it isn't really socially accepted to let nature just be in your garden (by the crowd, my personal experience over the time).
I always have to react to stupid comments on my lawn. Would love to see a change to the better! Thanks for the direct comparison! Will use it! :)
Show threadgandlJun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai That’s really cool. Are both spots right next to each other in an open field? I’ll have to get one of those thermometers as well.
Show threadAdam AucklandJun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai where is this photo taken that’s reaching nearly 35°C?!
Show threadPeter Jakobs ⛵Jun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai I can confirm
Show threadDan Morgan Jun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai @aral More acres are under irrigation for lawns and golf courses than are used to grow food. (A misleading stat since grass uses MUCH less water than crops and trees, but still it seems counterintuitive.)
Show threadmaiamaiaJun 15, 2023
@OrsiNyarai I thought it was when deer enclosures for hunting were incorporated into mansion gardens? Also, when short, grass regrows from the top - uniquely - v rich & full of sugar (why modern grass-fed meat so sugary & diabetic) so tasty & fattens the animals fast, why grown replacing native vegetation & cropped to keep short (unless you want hay of course)
Show threadsergio_101 has moved!Jun 20, 2023

@OrsiNyarai

every time i see youtube videos of other countries, I am totally jealous of how cool their yards look. If i had the eye to do this, I would totally revamp my yard, with no lawn.

Show threadBård Edlund / EDLUNDARTJun 20, 2023
@OrsiNyarai I’m a city boy, so I’m quite ignorant about these matters, although I’m well aware that mowed lawns = 👎. But can you explain if there is a practical benefit to having the ground around your house be a lower temperature? Does it keep your house cooler (so less need for AC)? Or…?