Scythe Community Podcast

What if the best thing you could do for your lawn… was stop mowing it so much?

In this episode, Steve Smith sits down with Doris & Georg of Senserei to talk about their mission to bring the traditional scythe back into our cities and rethink the way we care for our lawns.

Modern lawns are often mowed too frequently and too short, creating water-hungry green carpets with surprisingly little biodiversity. Conventional rotary lawnmowers can also have a significant impact on insects and other small creatures living in the grass.

Doris and Georg believe there’s another way: let it grow and slow mow.

Originally rooted in the traditions of Styria and Tyrol, Austria, they’re bringing the technique of scything into urban gardening and teaching people how a slower approach to mowing can help turn ordinary lawns into more diverse, living spaces.

In this conversation, we talk about:

🌱 Why we’ve become obsessed with perfectly manicured lawns
🌱 What conventional mowing does to the ecosystems in our grass
🌱 Why mowing less often can make a difference
🌱 The return of the traditional scythe as an urban gardening tool
🌱 How “Slow Mowing” can create more biodiverse city gardens
🌱 What it takes to rethink the way we interact with nature in our own backyards

LET GROW & SLOW MOW.

Learn more about Senserei:
https://www.senserei.at

Follow Slow Mowing:
  / slowmowing  
  / senserei  

In this episode of the Scythe Community Podcast, ecologist Rachel Remnant shares her deep expertise in meadow restoration, traditional land management, and why biodiversity depends on how we cut and remove grass.

With over 20 years managing nature reserves and now founder of Land Lore Consulting, Rachel breaks down the science and tradition behind wildflower meadows—from floodplains in England to traditional farming practices in Transylvania.

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Rachel Remnant
04:00 – Why technique matters more than sharpness
05:40 – Transylvania & the Churchill Fellowship experience
09:20 – The shocking loss of wildflower meadows
13:00 – Why LOW soil fertility creates more biodiversity
19:20 – Meadow vs pasture
28:50 – How to turn pasture into a wildflower meadow
32:20 – How to reduce soil fertility (step-by-step)
35:40 – Rachel’s meadow management course
43:00 – The “Magnificent Meadows” project

Links & Resources
Meadow conservation work:
https://www.cprehampshire.org.uk/meadows
Rachel’s consulting business:
https://www.landloreconsulting.com
Follow Rachel on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelremnant
Churchill Fellowship report (Transylvania study):

https://www.churchillfellowship.org/ideas-experts/ideas-library/from-transylvania-to-the-itchen-valley-reviving-traditional-meadow-skills/

Janne Wester: Scything, Meadow Restoration & the Nordic Snath

Host Steve Smith talks with Sweden-based scything teacher and entrepreneur Janne Wester (Slåttergubben) about scything technique, meadow restoration, and the development of his Nordic snath for better ergonomics and control. Janne shares how he got started, why peening and sharpening are the biggest challenges for beginners, and how scythes fit into modern meadow management in Sweden. They also cover workshop teaching, municipal meadow contracts, why removing cuttings matters for biodiversity, and how to avoid misleading “meadow” seed mixes.

00:00 Welcome + Janne’s Background

02:12 Swedish Scythes, Ergonomics & the Nordic Snath

08:03 Scything Revival, Peening & Sharpness

19:10 Teaching Workshops + Common Beginner Mistakes

30:23 Meadow Contracts, Mowing Work & Tools

35:32 Scythe vs Brush Cutter 

39:38 Starting a Meadow + Restoration Basics

42:31 Avoiding Fake Meadow Seed Mixes

46:34 Why Scything Feels Right

55:59 Final Thanks and Wrap

https://www.youtube.com/@slattergubben6702/videos

slattergubben.se

slattergubben.se/produkter/kopa-lie/the-nordic-snath?tm=home

Richard Brown on Scything, Meadows, and Biodiversity

Host Steve Smith introduces the Scythe Community Podcast and welcomes Richard Brown — botanist, ecologist, wildflower seed expert, and longtime scythe instructor. He's also led the Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland since its founding over 15 years ago. Richard shares how he got into scything while helping people manage meadows that were too small for tractors but too large for garden tools, and how discovering modern Austrian scythes changed everything.

The conversation explores what makes a true meadow versus pasture, why biodiversity depends on active management, and why simply leaving land alone often leads to scrub and woodland. Richard explains the importance of mowing timing, the risks of misunderstood “no mow” messaging, and how staggered “mow-saic” management can better support wild flowers and biodiversity.

Links

wildscythe.co.uk.

https://www.youtube.com/@wildseed01/featured

00:00   Welcome & Guest Intro

01:04   Richard’s Scythe Journey

04:02   Meadow vs Pasture

10:40   Mowing Timing & “No Mow” Confusion

16:29   “Mow-saic” Management for Biodiversity

18:51   Fertility, Cuttings, and Wildflowers

21:55.  Meadow Restoration in Practice

27:05   The Experience of Scything & Learning the Skill

36:36   Scything Community, Efficiency, and Courses

43:32   Sub Aqua Scything & Where to Learn More

#scything #scyther #scythe #pasture #meadow #restoration #biodiversity #wildflowers #conservation #mowing