At the Muck-In Morning on 11th September 2021, the volunteers raked cut grass in the Pennycroft area. It was then forked up into the High Batts dumper truck and taken off to be composted.
There are several reasons for cutting the grass. It helps birds of prey search for food if the area is not completely overgrown.
Also, an Autumn cut where the grass is removed takes away some of the nutrients that would otherwise persist in the soil; many wild flowers need less fertile soil in order to thrive. As Dave Goulson says (The Garden Jungle):
‘You may not want hay, but make sure you take away the cuttings as otherwise they will form mouldering clumps that will kill delicate plants beneath and return unwanted fertility to the soil. The cuttings can of course be composted down…’
the garden jungle, by dave goulson, page 34
Goulson even quotes Shakespeare (Henry V, Act 5, Scene 2:
The even mead, that erst brought sweetly forth
The freckled cowslip, burnet and green clover
Wanting the scythe, all uncorrected, rank,
Conceives by idleness, and nothing teems
But hateful docks, rough thistles, keksies, burs,
Losing both beauty and utility
