TO BAG OR NOT BAG YOUR CLIPPINGS Some lawn mowing machines catch the clippings for you. Some homeowners rake up the clippings after they mow. Other folks just let the clippings lay on the lawn. There is a right time and a wrong time for bagging the clippings. If you have a healthy, well kept lawn, do not bag the clippings. They are made up of mostly water, with the solid part being mostly nitrogen (an important fertilizer). Grass clippings will decompose and turn into the soil in a short time, usually before you mow again. In a sense, clippings both water and fertilize your lawn along with providing shade. Do not confuse clippings with thatch. On your lawn, living and dead stems, roots, and plant crowns which develop between the layer of green vegetation and the soil surface are called thatch, because they intertwine together and they’re plant parts. Clippings are not thatch. An excessive abundance of grass clippings is harmful to a lawn. If your lawn has grown a lot since your last mowing and now you’re faced with chopping 2, 3, 4, or more inches off the top of your grass, clippings will bunch up and leave a thick mattress sitting on top of your lawn. Such a huge amount could suffocate the grass beneath it and keep live plants in darkness. The smothering grass plants will turn yellow. Your normal levels of fungus and bacteria will escalate, but the load of clippings will be too much to decompose at a time. This choking overload of clippings will become heavy thatch. Too much thatch (over ½ inch) will become a water and air barrier on your lawn, and a breeding place for fungus, bacteria, and disease. Bag your clippings when this overabundance of grass clippings is the alternative. Another time to bag your clippings is when you need to stop something from spreading. If your lawn has a problem with fungus, mold, a disease, or weeds that are going to be dropping seeds soon, bagging the clippings will remove most of the problem. In summary, there are three reasons you should NOT bag your grass: the clippings provide water, nitrogen, and shade to your healthy lawn. However, if you mow, water, and fertilize your lawn properly, your lawn won’t be missing anything if you bag your clippings. There are three cases when you SHOULD bag your clippings: when you will create an overabundance of clippings which will make your lawn 1) look bad and 2) become unhealthy, and 3) when you need to stop something from spreading.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:12:59 +0000