You’ve just finished mowing your grass, now you’re contemplating what to do with the clippings… you might be thinking of just throwing them in the recyclables anyway.
This may not be a good idea, mostly because it is not an option in most areas (and one should not add them to your compost).
The best policy is to leave grass clippings of 1 inch and shorter, on the lawn to filter down to the soil level where they will decay quickly.
Grass clippings longer than that should be removed as they can shade or smother the grass underneath, which can lead to lawn damage.
That being said, there is quite a bit more one can do with the grass clippings than just rake them up and toss them.
You could make use of the grass clippings in your vegetable patch or flower bed to increase plant health and at the same time include a yard waste component and still be eco-friendly.
Grass clippings can improve your soil health, retain moisture, and decompose slowly to supply the nutrients to your plants at the root level. Grass clippings have a:
- nitrogen content of 4%
- phosphorus content of 1%
- the potassium content of 2%
- and trace levels of other plant elements
Thus, when they decay they provide food for microbial life in the soil.
Why Is It a Bad Idea to Dump Grass Clippings?
Grass clippings are very dangerous because dumping is not allowed. It doesn’t matter if the yard waste is organic waste or an inorganic materials; trash is trash.
It is common for people to use blowers or sweep their grass clippings into the street, and this flow of clippings washes down the drainage ditch into the streams thus harming the ecosystem even more.
Grass clippings and yard waste also produce heat. The heat is produced by microscopic bacteria and fungi that digest the moist grass clippings.
When the grass is cut and spread across the lawn, the grass will begin to decompose. You will not notice the heat it produces until you start to rake the clippings together in a pile.
Have you noticed that the larger the pile, the more heat that is trapped, and the pile’s temperature is higher? That is because you are piling up the grass clippings with additional trash, and the pile may spontaneously combust.
How to Reuse Grass Clippings?
Don’t throw away your grass clippings.
If you choose to let your grass clippings remain on your lawn after mowing, they will decompose in a few short weeks.
It seems as though bagging the clippings with the grass cutter is a good idea, and it certainly prevents the annoying little green clippings from lying around, however, this is a bad decision.
Your grass clippings, should be spread across your lawn and made use of, as a naturally occurring fertilizer.
Grass clippings decompose quickly while returning critical nutrients back to the soil.
Some lesser-known facts include:
- Grass clippings and additional yard waste make up 12% of hard waste that goes to landfills throughout the United States. During peak season, that percentage spikes to 50%.
- Throwing yard waste and grass clippings away is wasteful and expensive.
- Taxpayers spend money picking up yard waste, then hauling it away to the landfills, instead of using it as organic fertilizer for their lawn.
Things to Consider When Grasscycling
Only mow the lawn for dry grass conditions.
Mowing a wet lawn is extremely challenging because the grass is heavy and will not give a good cut. A dry mow will also allow for proper dispersal of any clippings.
Ensure the mower blade is sharp. A sharp blade produces a clean cut. This is beneficial for the lawn and helps keep diseases and insects away. A clean cut heals faster and is better for the lawn implementation.
If you allow too much growth between mowings, simply lift the cutting height and work down to the cutting height as you mow.
Mowing too much will shock the grass. A moderate cut is better for the health of your grass.
After mowing a lawn, it is not necessary to bag or collect the grass clippings. Leave the clippings alone because the small clippings will eventually fall into the deeper surface of your lawn.
If you have treated your lawn with herbicide, and you want to use the grass clippings for mulch, you should wait for at least three mowing cycles before using the grass clippings.
Benefits of Reusing Grass Clippings
- You save time, lawn mowing is much easier and faster. You won’t need the mower bag while mowing, which saves you time not emptying it. Grass cutting is simpler, easier and quicker.
- Grass clippings contain important nutrients for the soil, and you will need less fertilizer for an attractive lawn.
- Less water will be wasted since grass clippings help the soil retain moisture and lawn health.
- There is no unnecessary bagging and less work will be needed.
- Grass clippings are reused with environmentally friendly practices and waste is reduced.
| Things to do with grass clippings | Things not to do with grass clippings |
|---|---|
| Mulch with Grass Clippings: Mulching around vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees in the yard helps in controlling weeds and regulates soil temperature and moisture. | Burning grass clippings: Burning produces smoke, which can annoy neighbors, and emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. |
| Make compost from grass clippings: They are a good source of nitrogen, and when combined with carbon-rich materials, they degrade quickly. | Throwing grass clippings in the garbage: When organic material degrades, methane is produced, which can ignite in massive amounts. |
| Leave grass clippings out on the lawn: As they decompose, they return nitrogen and other nutrients to your lawn. | |
| Make liquid fertilizer from lawn clippings: Grass clippings can also be converted into organic liquid fertilizer. | |
| They are excellent weed repellent: Weeds can be prevented by laying down grass clippings beneath the base of your hedges and bushes. |
How to Dispose Grass Clippings?
1. Composting or Mulching Grass Clippings
Grass clippings that are rich in nitrogen are very effective materials for composting.
Grass clippings offer balanced carbon and nitrogen content and quality fertilizer when introduced into a compost pile. This will also promote healthier plant growth.
Grass clippings can be used for mulching in addition to composting. Mulch, in addition to their ability to add soil nutrients, may also assist in weed prevention.
2. You Can Leave them on Your Lawn
The ideal method of removing grass clippings is to simply leave them on your lawn.
In this scenario, you must mow your grass more frequently instead of waiting until it becomes excessively long.
Grass clippings falling to the ground will help to naturally nourish the soil in your yard, specifically your lawn, resulting in healthier grass.
It is also your best option because it can be completed quite effortlessly.
You simply need to mow the grass often enough that the grass clippings won’t look sloppy or messy in your yard.
The best option:This option is a simple and low cost; but is also more advantageous financially because it can naturally fertilize your soil.
3. Give Away Grass Clippings
If you have a farm in your area, they may be a great option for letting your grass clippings go.
Grass clippings can often be used as animal feed or used to make compost.
Besides farmers, you can also talk to a local gardener. Like farmers, gardeners also often use grass clippings to make compost or to mulch plants.
4. Use Them to Top Dress Raised Beds
Grass clippings can also be used as a top dressing in raised garden beds. They help retain moisture in your beds, suppress weeds, and provide organic fertilizer to your plants.
Consider applying a couple of inches to the top of the beds surface.
As the clippings decompose, the height of the mulch will decrease, give your plants additional organic matter to assist in soil culture. Add more throughout the growing season, as applicable.
5. Deliver Grass Clippings to a Local Disposal Facility
If your usual garbage collection service accommodates it, the easiest way to get rid of your grass clippings is to just toss it in your yard waste bin.
Yet, not every waste disposal agency wants to haul your lawn debris, so you need to special bag it and separate it from your regular trash can.
On top of that, some trash collection companies will charge extra for yard waste.
For this reason, you may want to check with your garbage collector first.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to yard works, leaving grass clippings on the yard does not cause thatch, which is a layer of partially decomposed grass plant parts that sits between the live grass and the soil.
Grass clippings are mostly made of water and will break down quickly and disappear very quickly, simply cut the grass at the proper height on a regular basis.
If your yard has any type of disease or fungus, such as a Brown Patch Lawn Disease, when you mow the affected area, do not let the clippings fall.
Doing this will only help spread the disease or fungus over a wider area of your lawn.
By removing the clippings you are helping to reduce the population level of harmful organisms.