Grass clippings make up a large percentage of the
household waste produced each year. About 1,000 square feet of lawn in Virginia can
produce 200 to 500 pounds of clippings during the growing season. Grass clippings are a
natural, organic, biodegradable material. However, they are often trapped inside plastic
bags and then collected with the garbage only to take up available space at the landfill.
A simple alternative to bagging grass clipping is "grasscycling." Simply leave
clippings on your lawn where they break down in 7 to 14 days. The clippings act as top
dressing fertilizer and help keep your lawn green and healthy.
Hints
for practicing "grasscycling" in your backyard:
•Mow often and cut less than 1/3 of the grass growth when mowing.
•Mow when conditions are dry and use a sharp mower blade.
•Don't let large clumps of grass clippings accumulate on the lawn.
•Avoid overuse of harsh chemicals and fertilizers.
•Water your lawn less frequently, but for longer periods of time.
•Mulching mowers that grind grass clippings can be used, but are not necessary.
Grass clippings also can be used as a surface mulch around vegetables or flowers to
inhibit weed growth and retain soil moisture. Remember to keep clippings at least two
inches away from young plants to avoid "burning" the new growth. Put grass
clippings in your compost pile to add extra nutrients. To avoid odors, no more than one
third of your composting pile should be made up of grass clippings.
Grasscycling saves you:
Time: you don’t have to stop every few
minutes to empty the mower bag. The average person saves seven hours of yard work each
year.
Money: "eco" maintenance reduces
costs from fertilizer, trash bags and trash disposal.
Trouble: you don’t have to worry about
bagging the clippings.
