When you are gardening and caring for your lawn, it can often be difficult to know what to do for the best. There are so many differing opinions on what is the best and worst option, that you may be unsure of what to do.
Grass clippings are not an exception to this, and they are something that many people are unsure of what to do with. The age-old question is whether to leave them on the grass, or whether to remove them once the grass has been cut.
In this article, we will be delving into this question in more detail, to help provide you with the best possible answer. In addition to this, we will be talking you through what you can do with the leftover clippings, and whether it can be recycled.
Should I leave grass clippings on lawn?
The answer to this question is not as simple as it first may seem, and the answer you receive may be vastly different depending on the person you are talking to. This is because there are both pros and cons to leaving grass clippings on a lawn.
The pros of leaving grass clippings on the lawn
To begin with, let’s talk about why you should leave grass clippings on the lawn. Firstly, it makes the grass tending far easier. It means that you do not have to worry about placing all the leftover clippings in a bag and disposing of them.
Not only is this better for the environment because you do not have to worry about using plastic bags, but it means that your job is far quicker when you leave the grass clippings as they are.
During the summer and winter months, it is actually really beneficial to leave the grass clippings on the lawn. This is because the grass will be able to soak up and use the nutrients that are released from the grass clippings.
When the grass clippings begin to decompose, they release up to 30% of the overall nutrients that the grass needs. This is beneficial for the grass, and also means that you will need to manually fewer nutrients too, which is useful.
However, this is only beneficial in the height of the summer months. When coming into fall or leaving spring, it is recommended that you remove the grass clippings to prevent it from interfering with the growth of the grass.
The cons of leaving grass clippings on the lawn
Now, let’s explore the cons of leaving clippings on your lawn. The most obvious con is that your grass will not look perfect. While this is something that not everyone is bothered about, if you want a picture perfect lawn, you may want to spend the time removing the clippings.
In addition to this, the lawn clippings can become clumpy, which can be frustrating to look at and to remove. These clumps can then become slippery if there is any rain or adverse weather conditions.
Over time, the grass clippings can begin to affect the lawn, and as a result you may need to mow the lawn more often, which is something that you will want to take into consideration.
When you should not leave grass clippings on your lawn
If you do decide to leave leftover clippings on the lawn, there are a few things that you will need to take into consideration.
Wet Weather
Firstly, it needs to be dry weather. This is because wet lawn clippings on a freshly cut lawn can actually ruin the grass.
The leftover clipping can stop the grass from being able to breathe as it should because it clumps together when it rains. This will then ruin the grass, and can also cause it to become overly muddy too.
Infection
If you are cutting your grass because there is a disease, you should not leave the clippings on the grass. Instead, you will want to remove and dispose of the grass safely so that your grass is able to recover as quickly as possible. Leaving the clippings on the grass can cause the disease to linger and even spread.
What to do with leftover grass clippings?
During the times of the year when it is recommended that you remove the leftover clippings from the lawn, you may be unsure of where to dispose of them. After all, you will want to ensure that you are doing this correctly.
The best way to dispose of the lawn clippings is always to reuse them so that they are not going to waste. We would recommend that you use it to create your own compost. This will be beneficial for both the environment, and your own garden.
However, if you would prefer not to use leftover grass clippings for compost, you can ask a neighbor if they would like the clippings, or you can take it to be recycled. This is far better than placing it into a landfill.
When you are cutting your grass, always try to just trim it, instead of removing too much of the grass. This is better for your grass and the environment. Where possible, you will want to remove about a third of the length of the grass.
By doing this on a dry day, you should not be left with too much clipped grass. This may mean that you will not need to throw the grass away, and then you can leave it on the lawn with no issues.
Summary
We hope that you have found this article insightful. As you can see, it is a great idea to leave grass clippings on a lawn. Not only is it beneficial for the grass, and it is able to soak up the nutrients, but it is the better option for the environment too.
It will save you from having to place the grass clippings into a landfill, and it will take away the time spent raking up and removing the grass clippings!
