Parco 8 marzo (Porta Vittoria area): razed. Largo Marinai d’Italia: thriving grass, not freshly mown. Between the two, in the skimpy waste land of the traffic island of Viale Umbria, thick bushes of “ears”. Green areas of Corso Indipendenza and Argonne: lush clipped lawns. And so also in Piazzale Martini, in via Palestro, in Sempione. In the rainiest May of the last century, the Milanese grass is amazing. However, plant well-being stimulates (some) human malaise. Rain protests: «The flowerbeds are unkempt», «the garden is a forest», “there is no maintenance”. All fueled by the Municipality’s choice to experiment the “reduced mowing” (let nature take its course, to increase biodiversity): it happens in 54 areas, 1.3 million square meters out of the 19 of the municipal territory. Just over 5 percent. Politics is controversial. Centre-right councillors: «The Municipality just wants to save money». The rain continues. This is the first point, the coincidence.
Why don’t they cut the grass in Milan?
Elena Grandi, Councilor for the Environment, explains: «We launched the experimentation in a season that was super rainy. So it seemed to some that we had decided to leave the tall grass everywhere. But is not so: with heavy rains, as is known, the grass cannot be cut». So? «The grass will be cut everywhere, as it always has been. We are working to put the works back in line with the program. The areas reported by municipalities 5 and 8 have already been arranged. QThis has nothing to do with reduced mowingbut only with the rain.”
Uncut lawns
Here, the reduced mowing. What scientific basis does it have? Giorgio Vacchiano, associate professor of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of the State University, responds: «First of all there is a cultural fact: we are used to the English lawn, and the tall grass makes us think of neglect, or we fear that may hide some danger. In many cities these areas are now respected and protected. The underlying concept is that the green areas flowered in spring promote biodiversity, in particular for pollinating insects, such as bees, which for example in the Po Valley are in sharp decline due to the use of pesticides. Agricultural crops that are also fundamental to humans depend heavily on those insects, such as alfalfa, which cattle eat.”
Reduced mowing
Is tall grass enough? «Actually the key element are the flowers, the tall grass alone does not provide food for the pollinators. At Parco Nord there are beautiful experiments with reduced mowing on areas of this type, created precisely for that purpose, organized in long strips or patches.” Other advantages? «Developed vegetation is refreshing because water evaporates continuously. Of course, the beneficial effect is proportional to how large the area is and in any case rather localized.”
The concerns of dog owners
However, there is a certain concern among dog owners, for ticks, and among those who are terrified of a possible multiplication of the mosquito population. «Well, ticks are brought by deer and roe deer – replies Professor Vacchiano – and for mosquitoes the problem is water stagnation. It is not certain that land with tall grass necessarily causes waterlogging; indeed, if well maintained, it is more porous and absorbs better.” Final question, the bromus, or (common name) the forasacchi, the “ears”: which end up in dogs’ ears and can cause ear infections. «Precisely for this reason – concludes councilor Grandi – even in the areas with reduced mowing in the parks we will cut the grass for a few meters near the paths. And one point must not be forgotten: in parks, excluding the areas dedicated to them, dogs should be on a leash and whoever leaves them free violates a rule”
