koszenie

Koszenie is the act of cutting vegetation close to ground level, primarily grasses, to manage farmland, harvest forage, or maintain lawns. In agricultural contexts, koszenie is used to produce hay or silage by cutting standing forage and allowing it to dry or ferment. For lawns and managed meadows, koszenie is performed to keep vegetation at a desired height and promote healthy growth.

Methods and tools: Traditionally performed with a kosa (scythe) and a kosiarz (mower). Modern practice relies on mechanization, using kosiarki (mowers), disc mowers, or sickle-bar mowers, often pulled by tractors. In smaller plots, handheld scythes or manual reel mowers are still used.

Processes: For haymaking, cut forage is dried in windrows before stacking; for silage, cut material is compacted and stored to ferment. In lawn maintenance, mowing height and frequency influence turf density and vigor. Clippings may be left to decompose or be removed, depending on nutrient management.

Timing and regions: Mowing is seasonally determined by climate and crop stage, typically in spring and summer in temperate regions. Regular mowing reduces unwanted growth, controls weeds, and supports biodiversity when practiced with seasonal considerations and avoidance of critical nesting periods for birds and pollinators.

History and etymology: The term koszenie comes from the Polish verb kosić, meaning to mow or cut; the practice has ancient origins and became mechanized in the 19th and 20th centuries with the development of horse-drawn and tractor-powered equipment.