Man Cutting Grass And Leaving Clippings On Lawn

Should I leave Grass Clippings On Lawn Or Bag

A popular questions that homeowners have is whether or not to leave grass clippings on the lawn.

The option to bag them is always available but you may want to just let your lawn service mulch when mowing for good reason.

Grass clippings add nutrients as well as other benefits.

Benefits of leaving grass clippings on the lawn

There are 3 main benefits that we will discuss below.

1.) Adds nitrogen to soil

One of the ways to keep your lawn healthy is to fertilize at the recommended time during the year.

But for some people they rather not have the added expense so a good way to do it naturally and free is by mulching.

Mulching returns the cut grass back to the lawn where it breaks down and adds nitrogen to the soil.

This is called decomposition.

So when the grass is cut and remains you are having your lawn nourished naturally.

The nitrogen helps your grass grow more quickly and promotes a deeper green colored lawn.

2.) Keeps the grass roots cooler

Once the summer kicks in we tend to get less rain and the temperatures start to rise.

The ground will harden up and this puts stress on the grass and roots.

Leaving grass clippings on the lawn acts as a natural cooling method to help protect the grass roots.

The clippings fall to the soils surface and act as blanket shielding the soil from direct sunlight.

Which brings us to the next benefit.

3.) Holds moisture in the soil

As discussed earlier leaving grass clippings while mowing acts as a blanket that will not only protect the soil from direct sunlight but it will also help to slow the loss of moisture.

Helping the soil retain moisture reduces the stress from summer heat making your grass stronger and able to fend off disease.

Things to consider before leaving grass clippings on your lawn

Although there are many benefits of grass clippings staying on the lawn there can be some negatives as well.

For starters you want to make sure that your lawn is already healthy and not currently dealing with fungus or disease problems.

Another factor to consider is whether or not your lawn has a thick layer of thatch already on the soil.

If this is the case then dethatching can eliminate the buildup so you can get a fresh start.

Conclusion

Ultimately one of the best things that you can do for your lawn is to leave the grass clippings after mowing.

Most lawn care services have commercial mowers that do a good job of mulching grass into very small pieces and returning them to the top of the soil.

This is a natural way of nourishing your lawn without the need for chemicals.

Similar Posts