rotting wet grass clippings

ncooper1974

Hi

Had a new lawn laid in march, and have been cutting it every 2 weeks since april, and dumping the grass clippings in a composte area at the end of the garden.
As i'm now finding out, its turning into a soggy wet smelling mulch!!!

i'm not intending the dump for the purpose of composting - its just somewhere to dump the grass - but i would know what I should be doing. I've read somewhere that as long as the clippings are not long, then I can just leave it on the lawn to naturally break down. Is this true? and is it recommended?

My 2nd, and more important question, is what do I do with my old pile of dead clippings? is there anything I can add to it to help it decompose quicker? or do i have to face the fact that I need to get rid of it???

thanks for taking the time to read...

splodger_seedswapper

rotting grass smells - and there is nothing you can do about it really

it is a great soil conditioner though - once it has rotted down - but a big grass heap might take two years to rot down really well

it will rot better and will be less smelly - if combined with the other compost heaps / materials

stilernin

If you have shrubs in your borders, why not tip the cuttings behind/under them? I have done this for years. If you spread them out thinly enough and in a different place each time, finally returning to where you started, the grass dries and 'composts' into the ground. I keep it a couple of inches away from the stem; the shrubs are all fine.

HappySmiles

Or you could mix it with an roughly equal amount of paper and leave it to rot down as a real compost heap. Leaves would work too - they have started to fall here already.

ncooper1974

Thanks for the responses so far.

So in terms of the clippings i have already at the end of the garden thats getting soggy and smelly, I should just turn it over and add some old newspapers then?

valk_scot

Got a paper shredder? Shred down the newspapers and mix 50:50 with the grass clippings, breaking down any solid clumps of grass well. Cover and leave, turning every couple of months or so. Will make fabulous compost or mulch.

I just run the hover mower over each spot of the grass and leave the clippings though. As long as they're small the worms will pull them in. Not ideal for showcase lawns, but fine for my very average grass.

bris

What kind of mower do you have, if you have one that can be fitted wil a mulching plug you don't need to collect the clippings, just let them lie where they fall.