On Monday, March 13 City Council approved ‘No Mow May’ in Monticello. This approval suspends nuisance enforcement in relation to grass lengths (weed lengths will still be enforced) per City Ordinance 91.06 for the month of May. The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for early season pollinators. Pollinators play a critical role in our food supply and keeping our natural resources healthy.
No Mow May is a conservation initiative recommended by Wright County and the Minnesota DNR. Residents are encouraged to suspend mowing for the month, but it is not required. If you want to continue mowing your lawn, there are other ways you can help Minnesota’s pollinators, such as planting bee flowers and native plants and keeping your plants pesticide free.
City staff will continue mowing around rental structures, in the parks, and around City buildings to ensure accessibility; but we will be participating in other ways, like adding native prairie grasses and wildflowers throughout our parks system as part of our Turf Conversion Project.
If residents plan on participating, please note that enforcement will resume Thursday, June 1. At that time, all lawns must be maintained per the City’s Code (grass cannot be over 8 inches). We recommend giving yourself a few days to safely manage your lawn. Here are a couple of tips from the University of Minnesota for mowing long grass:
- Adjust your mower to the highest setting, you will have to make more than one pass over the grass.
- After you have reduced the grass height to a more manageable length, change the mower setting by reducing the height of the blade, before making a second pass.
- Do not cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time in a single mowing. This helps prevent root stress and promotes a healthy lawn.
Check out the University of Minnesota’s Bee Lab for other actions you can take to help our local pollinators!
