How important is mulching for your lawn? It’s a question some of us ask ourselves when we cut our grass but not all of us really look at the benefits of mulching.
Mulching is simply a way for you to return the nutrients of the grass clippings back to the lawn. The difference between mulching and just simply discharging the grass clippings is that larger clippings take longer to break down and usually just lie on top of the grass turning brown and looking unpleasant. Mulching is a way to repeatedly chop the grass clippings into finer pieces and distribute them over the lawn allowing them to break down quickly. Plus you don’t need to bag the grass clippings.
Mulching your grass with your lawn mower is one very easy way to keep your lawn healthy with little effort. How? Well if you have a mower that is setup to mulch (the discharge chute for the grass can be closed) than you can mulch instead of just discharging large grass clipping onto the lawn. It is as easy to mow your grass as you usually do but you don’t get rows of clippings or have to carry around a bag on the mower that will fill up and get heavier as you mow.
Apparently on a 1000 square foot lawn the grass clippings can return 1/2-2 pounds of nitrogen back into the lawn. The more you fertilize, the more nitrogen you will return to your lawn. Think of it like a natural grass recycling system. Throwing out your clippings is a pain because you have to bag them and hold them until they can be removed. And trust me you don’t want old grass clippings sitting around decomposing in a waste bag. It stinks! Even composting them can be annoying because you need a larger composter for frequent cuttings and hauling around the grass bag gets tiresome.
Why try to find a way to remove grass clippings when you can mulch them and help your lawn. Mulching does not add to thatch as it breaks down quickly and it helps return nutrients to your grass. It’s an easier way all around to cut your lawn and maintain a nutrient rich ecosystem for your grass.
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