True Blue Gardening

Keep a No-Mow Zone

What is a No-Mow Zone?

A No-Mow Zone is an area between your lawn and a steam or Torch Lake, where grass and plants are allowed to grow freely without cutting. The depth from your lawn to the shore may be 5’-25’.

Without mowing, native grasses and wild flowers will begin to grow in the No-Mow Zone.

Native plants have deeper roots (12”-36”) than turf grass (3”).

Deep roots hold sediment, take up nutrients and trap toxins so these pollutants can’t reach Torch Lake or our drinking water

Photo: Torch Conservation Center

Photo: Torch Conservation Center

What are the benefits to you and our water?

Keeps nutrients out of Torch Lake, so algae won’t grow and change its turquoise color to green
Keeps geese from littering your lawn
Saves money on lawn and yard maintenance
Reduces bank and soil erosion
Keeps toxins out of Torch Lake, so they won’t harm fish and aquatic creatures
Keeps sediment out of Torch Lake so it won’t harm fish and aquatic creatures
Provides wildlife habitat and breeding areas for native birds, bees and butterflies
Provides privacy from boat traffic and neighbors

What can you do?

Step 1: Stop mowing the zone adjacent to the shore, especially where lawns and steep banks meet the lake.

The wider the No-Mow Zone the better.

An effective No-Mow Zone should span:

at least 50-75% of your shoreline frontage OR
a width of 15-50 feet, depending on the bank slope.

Step 2: Nature will do the next step.

Native plants will begin to grow in the zone

Step 3: Watch and weed.

Dig out the plants you don’t want in the No-Mow Zone.

Step 4: Add colorful native plants.

It may take a little time to adjust to the appearance of unmowed areas, but the natural beauty of your shoreline will appear along with birds, bees and butterflies.