Explanation of Mowing Policy

Why do we mow?

We need to mow, but whenever possible, we do so only once a year. That way, flowers have more chance to grow and spread. And they attract more insects, increasing the biodiversity of both flora and fauna. When we mow, the clippings are removed immediately. This causes the grass to 'wither' and receive less nutrition. It sounds strange, but that is exactly what allows more diversity of plants to grow! If grass is not cut, small trees and shrubs will have a chance to grow. Also beautiful, but not what we strive for in those places. Also for traffic safety, grass on roadsides should not grow too high. Otherwise visibility is obstructed and it is harder to swerve if necessary.

When do we mow?

We mow the roadsides at the end of spring, in early June. We do this deliberately because that's when the spring flowers have bloomed and dropped their seeds. Also, the insects that hibernate among the herb-rich grass have a chance to wake up. The eggs and larvae have time to develop into adult insects. By mowing after May, a second growth of herb-rich grass can occur, allowing flowers to be seen even in late summer. The spent flowers and herbs are then left in the winter. This gives the seeds a chance to sink into the soil and we have even more flowers the following year! In the fall we mow the verges for a^{second time}, but then only 1 meter from the roadway. We do this for traffic safety reasons.

On grass fields and strips in residential areas, the center and Ekkersrijt, we start mowing at the end of March. We manage these intensively. This means that we mow frequently. This is not good for biodiversity, but it is suitable for sports and games. That is also one of the valuable functions that green space can have!

What else are we going to do?

In the future, we want to see if we can add more variation in the timing of mowing in grass areas that are adjacent, for example. If we mow fields partly in the spring and partly in the fall, species diversity increases further. In addition, we get many tips from residents who point out to us places where they would rather see a grassland rich in flowers than a "boring" lawn or shrub patch. We then see what the possibilities are. In several places we have removed shrubs and sown an herb-rich grass mixture. We continue to look at where we can create herb-rich grass in the municipality. This way we make Son and Breugel even greener and more beautiful!