The Orignal And Best Lawn Mower On The Market
When it comes to getting that perfect cut and keeping a healthy, natural lawn, you can’t beat one of these. Seriously, this is a grass powered lawn mower with a fertilizer attachment.
No, honestly! Grasses co-evolved with the herbivores that ate them and, unlike most plants, have growing points at their bases. A low growing point allows herbivores (like bison, goats, zebras, or the now extinct aurochs) to nibble their tops off while leaving them relatively unharmed.
As it turns out, herbivores are so important to maintaining grasslands that if you remove the herbivores, you’ll remove the grass. In addition to providing fertilizer (herbivore excrement) these animals trim back small shrubs and keep the prairies from turning into forests.
It’s strange to consider but the reason we’re mowing our lawns is because our herbivores are missing. They’re gone (or not allowed) so we do it. So the next time you’re cutting the lawn, think of yourself as filling a missing ecological niche. You’re playing cow. Don’t forget to “fertilize”.
Herbivores On Lawn Care
One option for natural lawn care is to get an herbivore. If you play your cards right, you could end up with meat, milk, leather, or fiber. Another option is to get rid of the grass and to plant something that doesn’t require weekly grazing. There are plenty of beautiful perennials and shrubs available (many of them are edible).
Though, if you want to play cow. Here are a few lessons from our herbivore friends:
- Keep your grass on the long side. Longer grass will hold its moisture better and look healthier (you’ll also avoid cutting below the growing point).
- I suspect that push mowers might more accurately mimic the teeth or herbivores as they cut (rather than lop off at high speeds). This is a mild hunch.
- Go bagless. Seriously. Every pound of lawn clipping that’s hauled away is a pound of nutrients that’s been robbed from the soil. Leaving the clippings will keep the nutrients on site, add organic matter to the soil, and help hold in water. The same goes for leaves.
