We all face the question- should you bag or mulch your grass clippings. In most cases the answer is clear. Leave the clippings on the lawn.
Why you shouldn’t bag your grass clippings:
- Save time and energy.
- Like most living things- your lawn needs food. The most important nutrient for grass is nitrogen. Nitrogen rich grass clippings will provide up to 1/3 of the required fertilizer for your lawn annually.
- Contrary to a popular lawn myth, leaving clippings on the lawn does not cause thatch, which is a layer of partially decomposed grass-plant parts between the soil and live grass. Grass clippings are mostly water, so as long as you mow regularly at the right height, they will break down and disappear rapidly.
There are a few things you can do to help keep your grass strong and looking good when you leave the clippings. Keep your mower blade sharp and mow regularly at the recommended cutting height for your type of grass. Avoid mowing when the grass is wet. If the grass gets so long that mowing at your normal cutting height will remove more than one-third the length of the grass blades, raise the height on your mower. Mow once at the raised cutting height, then again in a different direction at the normal height.