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| Research project of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna and VIKING brings results: Those who love their lawn mulch… |
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Vienna/Langkampfen, Kufstein, 13 September 2007. For the first time, a team of academic experts from the areas of landscape development and soil ecology have investigated the long-term effects on lawns of mulch mowing. The garden tool manufacturer VIKING, as client, and the research team of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna led by the "lawn guru of Austria" Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Karl-Ernst Schönthaler, were responsible for the research project which lasted for more than 4 years. The positive effects of mulch mowing on lawns were impressively demonstrated in the course of the research project. Lawn mowing using the mulch-mowing principle entails certain major advantages. Due to mulching or the return of cuttings, the disposal of cuttings is no longer necessary and it also replaces fertilisation using chemical substances. That is not only good for the environment but also for the household budget. Furthermore, the return of cuttings has numerous positive effects on the lawn, so that the overall appearance is significantly more uniform and of a higher quality. "Valuable" grass varieties such as Kentucky bluegrass (poa pratensis) are conserved and promoted by mulch mowing. "Mulch mowing makes sense. We were able to scientifically prove that the return of cuttings not only replaces fertiliser, but also entails a significant improvement in the overall lawn quality", explains Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Karl-Ernst Schönthaler. "This internationally unique research project, together with the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, not only demonstrated the practical application and the positive effects on the lawn of mulch mowing. The research results will lead to technical further development of VIKING lawn mowers and thus sustainably strengthen the international competitiveness of VIKING", according to Mag. Heinrich Lechner, Managing Director of VIKING GmbH. |
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 (from left) VIKING Managing Director Dr. Nikolas Stihl, VIKING Advance Developer and Project Leader of the mulch-mowing research project Richard Hanák, Univ. Prof. Mag. Dr. Alexander Bruckner - Institute of Zoology, in the front VIKING Managing Director Mag. Heinrich Lechner, Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Karl-Ernst Schönthaler - Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning Original photo (jpg-file, 861 kB) |
 mulch mowing at the approximately 2,000 m² ready-grown lawn area at the BOKU testing ground in Vienna-Essling Original photo (jpg-file, 543 kB) |
 grass catching Original photo (jpg-file, 1.211 kB) |
 mulch mowing Original photo (jpg-file, 1.397 kB) |
 Testing ground comparison during the non-growing season at the BOKU testing ground in Vienna-Essling; 1 = mulch mowing area, 2 = grass catching area Original photo (jpg-file, 1.419 kB) |
press release (doc-file, 82 kB) press release + photos (zip-file, 5.201 kB) |