the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, As spring blooms across Bergen County, the Village of Ridgewood is buzzing with a familiar eco-friendly movement: Slow Mow May.
This grassroots initiative encourages residents to rethink their lawn care routine for 31 days to support essential pollinators but concerns have been raised about tick infestation and does a socalled “shaggy lawn” encourage ticks?
The short answer is yes, generally speaking. While not cutting your lawn doesn’t “create” ticks out of thin air, it creates a much more hospitable environment for them to survive and latch onto you.
Here is the breakdown of why tall grass encourages ticks and why the advice can sometimes vary.
1. Humidity and Shade
Ticks are extremely sensitive to drying out (desiccation). They need high humidity to survive.
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Tall Grass: Acts as a canopy, trapping moisture and providing shade near the soil. This keeps the environment cool and damp, which is a tick’s “dream home.”
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Short Grass: Allows more sunlight and wind to reach the ground. This dries out the area and makes it harder for ticks to survive.
2. “Questing” Opportunities
Ticks don’t jump or fly; they use a behavior called questing. They climb to the top of a blade of grass and hold out their front legs, waiting for a human or pet to brush past.
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In a mowed lawn, the grass is too short for ticks to effectively reach the height where they can easily snag onto a passing host.
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In overgrown grass, they can climb higher (adults can climb about a foot up), putting them at the perfect height to latch onto your legs or your dog’s fur.
3. Rodent Habitat
Ticks don’t travel long distances on their own—they are brought into your yard by hosts like mice, chipmunks, and deer.
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Overgrown lawns provide excellent cover for small rodents to hide from predators.
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More rodents in your tall grass means more “tick-carrying taxis” making deliveries to your backyard.
The “No Mow May” Debate
There is a popular movement called “No Mow May” intended to help bees and pollinators by letting early flowers grow.
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The Conflict: While great for bees, it can be risky in tick-prone areas (like the Northeast or Midwest).
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The Compromise: If you want to help pollinators but avoid ticks, experts suggest keeping a “buffer zone.” Mow the areas where you walk, play, and sit, but leave a dedicated “wild” patch or a pollinator garden further away from the house.
Quick Tips for a Tick-Resistant Yard
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Keep it under 3-4 inches: Regular mowing disrupts the tick lifecycle.
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Clear the Edges: Ticks love the transition zone where the lawn meets the woods. Clear away leaf litter and brush piles.
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Create a Barrier: A 3-foot wide strip of wood chips or gravel between your lawn and any wooded areas acts as a “dry moat” that ticks are reluctant to cross.
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Sunlight is Key: Prune low-hanging tree branches to let more sun hit the grass.
Vag looks like a tick!! He’s so creepy
Post of the week !
The whole thing is useless virtue signaling. Silly lawn people, occupy yourselves and leave the rest of us alone.
Thanks for the logical post. I own a beach house in an area with lots of ticks which infect many people with lyme disease, and now alpha-gel. The lone-star ticks have also arrived a few years ago. The only way to protect yourself and animals is to cut grass SHORT. Also we need to update the yard maintenance ordinance. We have 2 lazy slobs on the block that have not removed their leaves, which is where ticks love to live and reproduce. During the cold winter they are protected and thrive under the leaves in the bushes
I’m cutting every week. I don’t care. Is more behind the story than what they’re telling you. They would love everyone to mulch their grass and let it fly, so the town doesn’t have to pick up the grass. Every year there’s always an employee that gets hurt picking up heavy yard waste cans. It’s been like that for 30 years.
Our mayor and anyone who is in favor of this are absolute freaks who enjoy looking at sloppy Lawns. Obviously not true Ridgewood folk who used to take pride in their properties. Go back to Paterson and Hudson county Y’all
Parks in town lol like garbage because of these losers
They can’t stand dealing with yard waste,
Ticks are coming from deer overpopulation
Unfortunately, this is not the only issue with the “Slow Mow May” initiative. In many cases people use it as an excuse to avoid maintaining their property. That leaves neighbors who do take care of their home stuck living next to overgrown, unkempt properties. Supporting pollinators is fine but it should not come at the expense of basic property upkeep or neighborhood standards.
We have enough problems with ticks thanks to this crazy growth in the deer population. If people really want to help, they can search out the many different types of flowers that are pollinator friendly. We can see from our own backyard how they attract bees.
Brought to you by the idiots who wore cloth masks and have lawn signs.
It is so silly.
This was always a dumb and frankly ignorant idea. Besides the tick issue,y longtime landscaper said that cutting the grass less often makes the cutting harder and less effective while “saving money” for the homeowner for the missed service and depriving the landscapers of that revenue for their regular customers.
I believe in “green efforts,” but have never done this and never will. Nor will I save food scraps in a pail, since I do not garden. I am not hauling waste into my car and driving it anywhere, either.