Originally published on August 2nd, 2011. Tom Throgmorton, of Throgmorton Plant Management, can be heard on KUNC, 91.5 FM, every Saturday morning at 7:35 and 9:35 a.m. Leaving grass clippings builds the soil, uses less fertilizer and improves the environment. The lawn owner could save money using less fertilizer.Īll it takes is a little education. the clippings, you can cut your mowing time by 30 when you leave them on the lawn. Companies could save money on dumping fees and the time it takes to get rid of the clippings. Using a mulching mower and leaving clippings could be a real time and money saver. If you’re not using a mulching mower clippings should be left half the time and collected half of the time. If it’s too thick it can suffocate the lawn. Thatch prevents air, water and nutrients into the soil (credit hollingworth). Reducing fertilizer reduces the risk of nitrogen leaching into water supplies.īut leaving too many clippings can be a problem. The study extrapolates over the long term nitrogen fertilizer could be reduced by half. In fact if fertilizer isn’t cut back it counteracts the benefits of leaving the clippings. The study shows that twenty-five percent less nitrogen fertilizer can be used when clippings are left on the lawn. When the soil holds the carbon, then less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Both nutrients are essential for plant growth. They add nitrogen and carbon to the soil. The study also shows leaving clippings reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer.Īs the clippings breakdown they build the soil. Leaving lawn clippings improves the ecosystem, the soil and reduces carbon dioxide in the air. With taller lawns even non-mulched grass clippings get lost in the long, growing blades.Ī study by the horticulture department at CSU proves leaving grass clippings on the lawn is beneficial. It’s recommended to grow bluegrass two and one half to three inches tall. If you don’t have a new mower most old mowers can be retrofitted to mulch the grass. 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. 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. Mulching mowers chop grass into tiny particles. As you can see, it is a great idea to leave grass clippings on a lawn. But with new mowing technology you can’t even see the clippings. Grass clippings are bagged up and thrown away because folks think the clippings look unsightly. New studies and new mower technology says to leave clippings more often than collecting clippings. Also called grasscycling, leaving clippings on your lawn will help your soil become more rich and fertile. To leave grass clippings or not to leave grass clippings is the question. As long as you are following the one-third rule for mowing frequency, the short grass clippings left behind will easily filter through your lawn down to the soil, where theyll rapidly decompose.