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Is it good to leave grass cutting on lawn?
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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.
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.
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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 dull2 -
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 rootsSadly, 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
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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.
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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.My Debt free diary
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6492297/10-000-steps-1-step-at-a-time1 -
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.0
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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?0
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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?
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.0 -
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.2
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YoungBlueEyes said: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. 🙂
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!1 -
Nobbie1967 said: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.0
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