Look, if you are mowing your lawn, one of the most common things you may do is throw away grass trimmings.
Maybe you dump them in a pile near the back of your yard or set them out on the street for collection.
But did you know you can compost grass clippings? In fact, you can make them disappear with no extra work on your part!
It's true! Grass clippings can be a tremendous way to keep vital nutrients in your lawn. Or your garden.
If you want to know how, then keep reading.
How to Compost Grass Clippings
There are three methods to compost your clippings; each method will help you practice more eco-friendly lawn care.
The first, "grass cycling," allows you to simply cut the lawn and leave the grass. The second is traditional composting, where you put grass blades in a compost pile. The third is using grass clippings as mulch in a garden bed.
Let's take a look at how each of these methods for composting grass blades works.
Method 1: Grass Cycling—aka Mulching
Grass cycling, also known as mulching, is simply using a mulching kit on your lawnmower so that it shreds the grass in a fashion that makes it nearly disappear into the lawn.
Grass cycling is an easy way to help your environment! Best of all, grass clippings are roughly 80 percent water. And that means they will break down very quickly.
When they do, they will release nitrogen directly into the lawn along with some other nutrients.
Best of all, with grass cycling, you don't have to keep emptying your lawn mower's bag, which can take up to 50 percent of the total time to mow your lawn!
Leave Your Clippings on the Lawn
And if you leave your clippings on the lawn, you will also help slow water lost through evaporation. As well as reduce the need to fertilize the lawn. Check out this article for more lawn care tips.
Now, to do this properly, you need to cut when the grass is dry, and you need to keep your mower blades nice and sharp.
Pro Tip! Never remove more than the top 1/3 of the leaf surface area when mowing.
Method 2: Traditional Compost Pile
Method 2 is simply the method of composting grass in your compost pile. If you are adamant about bagging grass. You can still add grass clippings to your compost pile and use it as a top dressing when it breaks down!
Best of all, if you choose this method, you could add a lot of other organic materials to your compost, including:
Table scraps (no meat or bones),
Leaves (be sure to shred them first),
Coffee grounds,
Eggshells,
And paper cups, napkins, plates, etc.
Here's the deal, this method alone may quickly overrun your compost pile with grass trimmings. So you may want to consider composting grass clippings in a separate pile. And simply mix them in with your other compost from time to time.
Method 3: Use them as mulch!
Most people don't know this, but grass clippings make a great mulch like pine straw or hardwood mulch. Plus, they are free! And because they break down so quickly, you will be giving your garden beds a nutrient boost every time you do!
While it may not be the look for everyone, using grass clippings as landscape mulch can save a lot of money. And your plants will still get all the benefits of a hardwood or pine straw mulch.
Pro Tip! Aerating the lawn in the spring and summer permits greater movement of water and air in the soil, which speeds up the decomposition of the grass. In addition, you should only water one inch every week, no more.
Method Number 4: The Secret Method
Of course, you could scrap the idea of composting clippings and have someone else do it. Like this guy did on Craigslist:
Composting Grass At the End of the Day
Turn grass clippings into free fertilizer with these 3 easy methods:
1. Grass Cycling (Mulching): Shred clippings with your mower and leave them on the lawn for quick breakdown and nutrient release.
2. Traditional Compost Pile: Add clippings to your compost pile with other organic materials, or create a separate pile for them.
3. Mulch for Garden Beds: Use clippings as free, nutrient-rich mulch around plants.
Make your lawn shine by just keeping the grass clippings on the lawn where they belong, in the lawn! It will help keep your lawn healthy, save you money, and save you time.
Truly, it is a great way to get that nice green lawn without wasting a lot of money on harmful fertilizers that you need to apply every few months. The above are reasons why we do not recommend paying extra for your lawn care company to remove grass clippings. Composted grass clippings are literally free fertilizer.
