Strimmers

In what way does it kill more wildlife than say a conventional mower ?

they do harm and kill frogs as the line will go under rocks and into nooks etc where a mower will not reach.

 Ray

Thanks Ray,not being a keen gardner I did not realise that

I have a lovely scar across my shin after I was over zealous with my strimmer. A frog would have been less fortunate.

Hello All,

I think that I am the guilty party for mentioning strimmers......

Ray I take on board your comments and agree with what your saying about 'nooks & rocks' but have to say that on open grass they can't be any more dangerous than a mower with a metal blade?

I probably should have made my situation clear, my own 'wild flower' lawn is two expanses of grass within the 'larger' lawn. By this I mean that around the outside of these areas is short mown paths, therefore there are no "nooks and rocks" here at all. Despite this before I use any machinery in the garden be it strimmer, lawn mower, chain saw etc I check the area thoroughly and make sure that it is clear of wildlife as best I can.

This thread is actually very well timed as I actually 'strimmed' my wild flower area this evening and my actions were as follows:-

1) Check the area to be cleared, in this case long grass which is quite 'tufty' in places. I use a stick to part the grass and check that it is clear, following on behind by carefully walking through the area already cleared. I have noticed that this will also cause the likes of spiders, moths etc to make a hasty get away!

2) I then chop off the longer 'tufty' bits with shears which helps clear out residing beasties and make strimming easier

3) strim off the top half of the grass which makes it easier but also gives a better look into the grass in case you have missed something

4) I then rake off the cut grass and debris which leaves about 6" of grass left to cut

5) Repeat as above with the last 6" of grass

Another valid point is that I will always allow enough time to complete this process in one sitting therefore not giving anything time to come back into the area.

I hope this clarifies the way I work and my thought processes, after all it's a wildlife area and common sense prevails in the preservation of it's inhabitants.

Having explained this process I would have to say that I would dispute the fact that the strimmer is more dangerous and would in fact debate that it is actually less dangerous as you have more control and can cut down through the grass in sections (as above) rather than with a mower which runs along the ground and chop up everything in it's path?

It would be interesting to get others views or tips on how you go about clearing your wild flower area?

Hi Higgy

At the end of the day we will have casualtys wichever method we use no matter how careful we are. Just like the thread I did ref green bins all we can do is check.

  Ray

Thanks for your comments on this one, the Homes for Wildlife fact sheet does indeed mention the use of a strimmer as a tool for dealing with long grass.

On our web page linked from the fact sheet we do mention the importance of checking for wildlife before using a strimmer, have a look at the link here to get the full advice that we offer about advanced lawn management.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/lawns/advanced.aspx

The key with strimming is to do it at a steady pace, give yourself time to look out for creatures in the grass and to leave the grass at about 4 to 6" which still offers wildlife a chance to avoid the strimming even if you don't see them. Checking the long grass first is always a good idea too, especially if you are going to strim or mow in nooks and crannies (not sure why you would need to, leave them for the critters!) that would be great hiding places for frogs, toads and hedgehogs!

Hope this clears things up a little bit!

Thanks for this info Ian, I was starting to feel a little guilty! I always thought I was just being careful by checking and strimming in stages until someone suggested otherwise! This makes me feel a bit better and is good advice for anyone else managing a wildlife/wild flower lawn!