Are Grass Clippings Useless?

Posted August 3, 2015 by Jacks Small Engines 1 Comment

Have you heard that you should just bag your grass clippings because there is no use for them?

That’s not true. Here’s why!

Mulching the grass clippings back onto your yard can be very beneficial!

Natural Fertilizer

They are made up primarily of water so they break down very rapidly and return the nutrients to the grass blades and the soil. They act as a natural fertilizer, and can help your grass to grow to be lush and green.

Less Work

Another advantage of mulching your grass clippings is less work for you! You don’t have to worry about gathering up all of the clippings and figuring out where to dispose of them, not to mention, they quickly fill up landfills, which is no good for our environment.

Too good to be true?

Mulching sounds great! However, you may have heard that leaving the grass clipping on your lawn will cause thatch to build up…

This is a myth! Grass clippings will only contribute to the thatch build up that already exists, not cause it, as long as the yard is properly maintained.

When Should You Bag?

There are cases where you should bag your clippings, like if you use pesticides or other chemicals on your lawn, you will not want to let the clippings lie in your yard as they will not decompose properly, and this will end up causing thatch.

Another case where you should bag the clippings is if you notice your lawn may have a disease. Lawn diseases are usually fungal and if you spread the infected clippings around the yard you are going to spread the infected blades of grass.

It is also a bad idea to mulch the grass clippings when the lawn is wet. If the grass is wet it may clump together instead of spreading over the lawn. Clumps of grass can actually suffocate the grass that they land on and this will cause dead patches in your yard.

In Conclusion….

Overall, mulching yard clippings is a very beneficial practice, except in special circumstances. Mulching the grass blades is a great way to naturally fertilize your lawn and keep it looking healthy!

Featured Parts:

• Gator Mulching Blades

Tags: grass clippings, mulching