We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Is it good to leave grass cutting on lawn?

Options
My council now charges for green waste so i thought I'd compost my grass cutting instead of paying however, it seems i will have to much grass to compost over a period of time.
Although my mower collects the grass i have heard from some people that leaving the grass on the lawn acts like a slow fertilizer putting the goodness back into the lawn, does anybody do this or is it a myth, it would certainly solve a problem if i could do it but i don't want it to look too messy.
Time Is The Enemy!
«1

Comments

  • ThisIsWeird
    ThisIsWeird Posts: 7,935 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 21 April 2023 at 9:52PM
    If you trim it often, and if your mower will distribute the small cuttings evenly, then I think it will both do good and look ok. But if you are as lazy as me, and the cuttings will be an inch or more high between sessions, and your mower tends to leave it in clumps and lumps, then not so much - it'll go brown on your lawn, and also be dragged in on your dawg's paws.

    Some mowers have a cover you could put over the back outlet which forced the cuttings to go around the blades more than once. This 'mulched' the grass into suitably-sized fragments which was reckoned to be good for this. But it still relied on more regular cuts than I would ever do. Dull dull dull :neutral:
  • twopenny
    twopenny Posts: 7,532 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 21 April 2023 at 10:16PM
    Or you could go over the grass again to 'digest' the cuttings.
    My lawn pre fancy mowers thrived with the cuttings. I did get fed up with traipsing the grass into the house every time I crossed the lawn.
    But don't cut too low to the roots

    Sadly, burried or stacked it doesn't rot down. It does however generate a lot of heat which is something to be considered with fuel prices ;)

    I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!

    viral kindness .....kindness is contageous pass it on

    The only normal people you know are the ones you don’t know very well


  • YoungBlueEyes
    YoungBlueEyes Posts: 4,874 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Homepage Hero Photogenic
    I heard the same thing about it being good for the grass, kind of a feed, so I do it. If it's been a while between mowings I go over it again so the bits are tiny.

    I don't know where they go but they soon disappear. 
    I oppose genocide. I support freedom of speech. I support freedom of assembly.
  • 13thlegion
    13thlegion Posts: 116 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    It's excellent to go back on, as above thin and even.

    Cuttings are also a good mulch for flower beds and pots. This lets you out down much thicker layers. 

    If composting, mix in equal volume of shredded cardboard and or paper and it will shrink down very rapidly. I can fill a dalek style bin in one cut, but over a season I never have to empty it due to the shrinkage.
  • Nobbie1967
    Nobbie1967 Posts: 1,666 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    They leave the cuttings on in most parks and the grass doesn’t seem to suffer. If they’ve left it to get long you get piles of grass for a while, but that gets mowed over and incorporated next time. As long as it’s in full sun I don’t see a problem. If it’s in partial shade then it could hang around damp and cause a few issues with moss and depriving the grass of the little light it does get.
  • AndyRen_2
    AndyRen_2 Posts: 24 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    Following with interest. Our ‘lawn’ pretty much died during the last heatwave - such that it’s now predominantly dandelions, moss and other weeds, and perhaps about 30-40% grass.  If I left the cuttings on to mulch, would that help rejuvenate the grass, or if I spread the mown dandelions on as well would that just reseed the weeds, making the problem worse?
  • Sapindus
    Sapindus Posts: 664 Forumite
    500 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper
    AndyRen_2 said:
    Following with interest. Our ‘lawn’ pretty much died during the last heatwave - such that it’s now predominantly dandelions, moss and other weeds, and perhaps about 30-40% grass.  If I left the cuttings on to mulch, would that help rejuvenate the grass, or if I spread the mown dandelions on as well would that just reseed the weeds, making the problem worse?
    The cuttings would not help in this case, and yes the dandelions will have a great time seeding themselves.

    In your position I would get some grass seed, but how about mixing in some wildflower meadow mix as well?  It'll be better for wildlife and more resilient to future droughts.
  • YoungBlueEyes
    YoungBlueEyes Posts: 4,874 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Homepage Hero Photogenic
    I try to mow round dandelions on my first few cuts of the lawn. They’re one of the first flowers out, the bees need them to get going while other stuff is still growing. Once they’ve turned into fluffy white clocks I pull the tops off them and mow over them next time I’m mowing. 

    I don’t put the box on the back of my mower, the cuttings feed the lawn 🙂
    I oppose genocide. I support freedom of speech. I support freedom of assembly.
  • Sapindus
    Sapindus Posts: 664 Forumite
    500 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper
    I try to mow round dandelions on my first few cuts of the lawn. They’re one of the first flowers out, the bees need them to get going while other stuff is still growing. 🙂
    I hear this a lot, but I actually don't think it's true.  I hardly ever see bees on dandelions (happy to hear if you do) and yet the dandelions set seed quite happily without their help.  So why would dandelions bother producing nice nectar for them?  At the time the dandelions are flowering round here there is a fair bit of other stuff out, and my flowering currant will be full of bees and they're ignoring the dandelions.

    What dandelions ARE good for is salad (soak the leaves in cold water to take away the bitterness).  And I've just started a gallon of dandelion mead (pick the flowers and snip the green bits of). Dandelion wine is fab so I have high hopes!
  • baser999
    baser999 Posts: 1,242 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    They leave the cuttings on in most parks and the grass doesn’t seem to suffer. If they’ve left it to get long you get piles of grass for a while, but that gets mowed over and incorporated next time. As long as it’s in full sun I don’t see a problem. If it’s in partial shade then it could hang around damp and cause a few issues with moss and depriving the grass of the little light it does get.
    Believe most councils leave the cuttings on as it’s quicker and cheaper - no having to stop to empty grass boxes and where are they going to put all the cuttings? 
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.