Lawn Care/Basics for Homeowners-Lawn Care/Fertilization/Mowing Equipment/Mulching Mowers

Grasscycling, or mulch-mowing, means leaving clippings on the lawn. Mulch-mowing saves time and makes a lawn greener and healthier. It can be done with a conventional power lawn mower, but the best mulch-mowers blow finely chopped clippings down into your lawn where they disappear from sight and decompose quickly. Mulching should be done every five to seven days during the spring. But if your lawn gets too long, you may want to add a bagging kit to remove excess clippings, or just plan on raking a few times in the spring.

Reel Mowers

Push-type reel mowers are "coming back" because they are quiet, non-polluting, inexpensive and are good exercise. They scattering clippings evenly over the lawn, but it can't blow the clippings down into the turf like a power mulch-mower. Grass clippings make good compost and work well as mulch for flower-beds and gardens.

Mulch-mowing with a conventional mower

A conventional non-mulching lawn mower can be used to grasscycle. Remove the bag and cover the discharge chute from a rear-discharge mower. Clippings under the deck are then re-chopped, and dropped onto the lawn. Side-discharge mower with a deflector that throws clippings out away from the mower can grasscycle by mowing in a pattern that spreads clippings uniformly over the lawn. While you can buy special "mulching" blades, you should be able to get good mulching performance just by keeping your existing blade sharp.

Mulch-mowing tips

• Mow when the grass is dry, to avoid clumping.
• Raise cutting height to 2" to 2.5" to hide clippings better, and make a healthier lawn.
• Remove only one-third of grass length, or 1 inch maximum, per mowing.
• If the grass is overgrown, mow twice: first at a high setting, then lower.
• Mow every five to seven days in the spring. (Every two weeks may be enough in the summer.)
• Water and fertilize less. Grasscycling holds moisture better and also recycles fertilizer to your lawn.
• Sharpen mower blades at least twice a year, preferably more.

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Lawn Care/Basics for Homeowners-Lawn Care/Fertilization/Mowing Equipment