The Scythe: Cutting Beautifully into Biodiversity
Jun 05, 09:00 AM
Tom Waters of Scythe Kernow picked up the scythe professionally in 2020. From there he started a journey into traditional skills. Scything seems counter productive at first, many think it must be archaic and outdated, but this is not the case. Tom believes that it is more efficient than a strimmer (weed wacker) or lawnmower for dealing with long grass and if you want to allow for more diversity then longer grass, sedge and wildflower is what you will be dealing with.
Tom also is out to disprove a common misconception - that to scythe requires a great deal of strength. Through his training he has seen individuals prove his point - anyone can scythe effectively, it’s all about technique.
Join us for this episode as we go out into a Cornish field with Tom and watch and record him practice this skill coming back into fashion. Besides the immediate efficiency of the tool, we observe and discuss the more straight-forward, practical reasons to switch to the scythe such as
Tom also is out to disprove a common misconception - that to scythe requires a great deal of strength. Through his training he has seen individuals prove his point - anyone can scythe effectively, it’s all about technique.
Join us for this episode as we go out into a Cornish field with Tom and watch and record him practice this skill coming back into fashion. Besides the immediate efficiency of the tool, we observe and discuss the more straight-forward, practical reasons to switch to the scythe such as
- no fossil fuels
- no unpleasant noise
- it’s a pleasing, ergonomic motion that’s easy on the body, when you get it right
- it’s great exercise
- one is much more in tune and rhythm with the world around
- one inherently learns more about the immediate environment and feels in alignment to the surroundings