Is it best to gather clippings or leave them on the turf?
Check out the pros and cons of mulching and bagging and choose the best fit for your lawn.
Use these pros and cons to choose the best tactic for your patch of grass.
Credit:Natalja Dietrich / Getty Images
Pros of Mulching Lawn Clippings
Mulchingwhen were talking about mowingrefers to returning lawn clippings to the turf.
All lawnmowers can mulch clippings.
Some mowers are designed to finely chop the clippings.
Homeowners who mulch their lawn clippings benefit their grass in several ways.
Return Nutrients to the Turf
Clippings are rich in nitrogen and other valuable nutrients.
This is equivalent to at leastone fertilizer applicationper year.
Improve Soil Texture
As grass clippings decompose into the lawn, microbial activity improves the soil texture.
New water and nutrient channels form,improving clayand sandy soils with the addition of organic matter.
Over time, the soil improved by decomposing lawn clippings is more absorbent and well-drained.
Increase Carbon Sequestration
Lawns capture carbon.
Save Time and Labor
Mulching clippings is easy!
The lawn mower does all the work.
There is no need to heave bagged clippings into a compost bin or scatter them over open soil.
Mulching clippings eliminates the need to find a municipal disposal method if composting isnt an option.
In extreme cases, the piles of clippings can smother turf.
A rule of thumb is that clippings 1 inch in length can be safely returned to the lawn.
Clippings longer than an inch should be collected andadded to the compost pileor used as mulch in the landscape.
Turf scientists have found that clippings decompose so quickly they dont have a chance to accumulate.
Clippings break down rapidly, sending the valuable nutrients they contain into the soil.
Many homeowners have heard that mulching clippings contributes tothatch buildup in a lawn, but that concern is overstated.
Thatch can be brought on by too much nitrogen fertilizer andinfrequent mowing.
It is also more common on compacted soils and with some grass varieties.
Bottom line: Clippings dont cause thatch.
Pros of Bagging Clippings
There are real benefits to bagging clippings.
When cutting long grass, bagging clippings prevents them from smothering the turf.
Bagging clippings prevents them from littering walkways and clogging drains.
Smart mowing tactics can eliminate clipping litter, too.
Cons of Bagging Clippings
Bagging clippings removes a valuable source of nitrogen from the lawn.
Twenty-five percent of turfs nitrogen needs can be met through mulching clippings back into the lawn.
Bagging clippings becomes costly when you factor in thefertilizer needed to offset the lost nitrogen.
Bagging clippings is more time-consuming and labor-intensive than mulching.
Some municipalities accept yard waste; others do not.
Final Word: Mulching vs. Bagging
When possible, mulch clippings back into the lawn.
From a practical time and labor standpoint, mulching clippings is easier and faster.
The mower does the work, and your lawn reaps the benefits.
