Many homeowners believe grass clippings need to be removed to have a healthy, vigorous lawn. Actually the opposite is true; by following the steps in the "Don't Bag It" lawn care program, you can have a healthier, more beautiful lawn without collecting your grass clippings. State law prohibits yard waste, including grass clippings, from being discarded in landfills in North Carolina. (as of January 1, 1993).Yard waste can account for 20% of the solid waste in local landfills, and up to 50% of all yard waste is grass clippings. Grass clippings are recyclable and do not need to take up valuable landfill space. To deal with the solid waste crisis in North Carolina, all of us will have to make major changes in the way we handle yard waste.
Mulching versus bagging the clippings that occur when you mow your lawn is not a hard decision. If you (or your lawn service) bag and remove the clippings when your lawn is mowed, you are doing yourself and your lawn a disservice. Mulching is a 'best practice' for lawn care in almost all instances.
Grass clippings are actually beneficial to your lawn if handled properly. By using a mulching mower, you will: have a healthier lawn, save on fertilizer costs and save over 30% of the time involved in cutting your yard. Mulched grass clippings recycle the fertilizer you have already applied to your yard. In addition, the clippings can supply about 30% of the nitrogen your lawn needs to keep green and healthy.
Mulching also saves your time and money. By eliminating the time it takes to stop and empty your mower bag of clippings (or raking them from your yard), and then bagging them to be picked up by the garbage service, you will save 30% or more of the time it takes to mow your yard. You also eliminate the cost of the trash bags you use and you stretch the value of your fertilizer. By making your fertilizer more effective, you save even more because you have to spend less time and money fertilizing your yard.
Since some people have been slow to understand the value of the use of mulching mowers, some lawn care services continue to leave collection bags attached to their commercial mowers. In many cases, those mowers are equipped with mulching blades and the chute that leads to the collection bag is blocked. The result is that the lawn service saves time and treats the lawn properly by mulching while the homeowner feels good because they think the clippings are being bagged. The negative of all this is that it perpetuates the idea that bagging is better than mulching. And if your lawn care provider is doing this… What other dishonest practices are being used or are you being cheated on? Think about it!
Leaving grass clippings on the lawn is highly recommended; however, there are times when clippings may need to be collected:
* When the lawn is diseased, removing clippings can decrease the population level of disease organisms.
* If the lawn must be mowed when wet or if the grass is excessively tall, clippings will mat together and may not be evenly distributed. The lawn may be damaged under clumps of clippings.
* If your lawn mower is unsafe to operate without the bagging attachment, you should continue to collect grass clippings.
