Many people take a lot of pride in how their yard looks and the quality of their grass. A green lush yard, perfectly manicured is not always possible for everyone as it takes a lot of time and effort. It is important to know how to care for your yard if you want to keep it green, free of weeds, and full instead of patchy. Mowing regularly is an absolute must when temperatures are warm and there has been adequate rainfall, but many wonder if they should bag their lawn clippings when they finish the job. Fortunately, we have some good news for you.
You should NOT bag lawn clippings because they actually act as fertilizer for your grass, providing nutrients like nitrogen and potassium. Grass clippings have smaller amounts of these beneficial nutrients, but they are free and it saves you the time and effort of unnecessarily bagging after mowing. Overall, it’s easier and more beneficial to leave grass clippings where they fall during mowing. It’s a win win!
Benefits to leaving lawn clippings in your yard
I think most will find it a relief that it is actually best not to bag lawn clippings, but what are the additional benefits to leaving them in the yard? There are actually a few benefits that make it even more satisfying to skip the job of bagging grass clippings.
- Provide lawn food – While grass clippings do not provide as much of the nutrients that your lawn needs to stay healthy as store bought lawn food does, they do provide a portion of what your lawn needs. This makes leaving the lawn clipping an easy choice and a beneficial one.
- Keeps unnecessary yard waste out of the landfill – One benefit that people do not think about as much is the fact that when you bag your lawn clippings and put them out on the curb, they are often taken to a landfill. When you think about all the houses that may be bagging their lawn clippings, you may realize how quickly this can add up and create tons of unnecessary yard waste in our landfills.
- Less work for you – Perhaps the best benefit of all, is that not baggings your lawn clippings means less work for you. It is by no means a fun job and can actually be quite tedious to empty the grass catcher into bags or to rake up the clippings. This job can often take longer than the job of mowing the yard.
- Saves money – Bagging your lawn clippings creates extra expense because it requires more equipment such as a grass catcher or bagging attachment. If you hire a lawn care service, your bill will be more costly considering the extra time they will need to spend bagging the lawn clippings at each visit.
When to bag grass clippings
- Lawn disease – If you see signs of lawn disease, it is best to bag your clippings and dispose of them to avoid spreading the disease any further.
- Compost or mulch – In some cases, you may want to add lawn clippings to your compost pile or use grass clippings as mulch to help the growth of other plants in your yard or flower beds. Be mindful of any weed control or other chemicals that may have been recently added to your lawn before using the clippings for this purpose.
- Wet grass – It is best to avoid mowing your lawn when it is wet, but if you do have to mow wet grass, the clippings are likely to clump together instead of spreading out and falling down into the grass. In this case, you may want to remove the large clumps of grass to avoid killing the patches of grass underneath.
Guidelines for cutting grass
Since we know it is best not to bag your lawn clippings, there are a few simple guidelines to follow to ensure your grass clippings are cut properly for maximum benefit to your yard:
- Keep a sharp lawn mower blade
- Do not cut wet grass
- Cut your grass regularly
- Cut tall grass twice – If you have not been able to mow your lawn and find it has gotten fairly tall, it is best to do two cuts. Set your blade higher than normal for the first cut and then go back and cut it again with your regular height setting. This ensures that the lawn clippings are small enough to fall down into the grass and not sit on top of your lawn.
What causes thatch?
It is actually a myth that grass clippings contribute to thatch in your lawn. The clippings are actually mostly water and will break down fairly quickly. Thatch is caused by poor aeration of the soil and improper drainage. Other factors like too much nitrogen, frequent watering, and excess use of fungicides and insecticides can also create excess thatch.
Lawn care is important to a lot of homeowners and knowing that lawn clippings do not cause thatch buildup and actually act as food for your lawn, the best option is not to bag your lawn clippings and let them fall where they may! Feed your lawn for free and cut down on the cost of supplemental lawn food.
You may have heard that if your grass is tall, then you should bag your lawn clippings, but even in this case, it is not necessary. Remember, that you can simply do two cuts of your grass to ensure that the clippings are small enough to fall through the grass blades and settle. Mowing a second time will take no longer than bagging all those clipping and it is a much easier task, especially if you have a riding mower.
Next time you mow your grass, rest assured that leaving your lawn clippings where they are is the right thing to do. The benefits definitely outweigh all that time and effort it takes to bag your lawn clippings, so you can call this one a win!