An urgent call for volunteers to help rake the grass cuttings at St George’s Lawn in Cliftonville is being made by the Thanet Biodiversity group.
Group lead Peter Blem is making the appeal to clear the area tomorrow from 10.30am ready for council workers to then take away the piles.
The aim is to reduce the fertility of the soil which the cuttings create as this then encourages wildflowers to grow rather than thickened grass.
Peter said: “The thinking behind it is to reduce fertility of the soil by taking the cuttings away as it otherwise stops biodiversity taking hold.”
Peter says this method may mean wildflower seeds do not even need sewing as natural growth will be encouraged.
He added: “We need to get at least St George’s Lawn raked into two piles, one each side of Indoor Bowls Centre, by 3pm Friday, when Thanet council will collect. All help between now and close of Friday will be much appreciated. Many hands make light work and we will be making a big difference here.
Rakes, pitchforks and wheelbarrows are needed.
“If you can’t make it here then, please do the same near you, as this is a Thanet wide opportunity to remove the fertility, that prevents biodiversity thriving. By doing this we can turn it into the first crucial step for creating biodiversity in our open spaces. I know removing fertility and nutrition is counter intuitive, but it is the key to replacing long, thick, hungry grasses with the wildflowers that our pollinators and wildlife need.”
