Don't give it away...

If someone told you the Sanitation Department picked up two or three dollars from your curb every Monday, you would want to know more about it. Every black plastic bag of grass clippings you leave for them to take contains the equivalent of two or three dollars' worth of slow-release fertilizer you could have left on your lawn.

The grass clippings you are now placing at the side of the street probably represent the largest effort for the least return of all the tasks you perform as a homeowner. Several myths are associated with why clippings are removed from the lawn, none of which are valid.

Myth #1
Grass clippings cause thatch.

Properly mown grass clippings are pieces of leaf blades that contain three to five percent nitrogen. These succulent morsels of organic matter are rapidly decomposed by soil-dwelling microorganisms and disappear within 10 days. The key not to cause thatch is to mow the grass frequently enough at the proper height never to remove more than one-third of the canopy. Each grass responds best to a different mowing height.

Myth #2
Grass clippings spread disease.

Research shows that clippings help to spread diseases only when some other factor (too much fertilizer, too much water) causes the grass to be stressed. When the grass is growing well, returning clippings to the lawn has no effect on most diseases.

Myth #3
It takes more fertilizer to decompose the clippings.

Clippings add up to three pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet of lawn. The clippings are a slow-release source of everything the turf needs to grow.

Myth #4
Clippings decompose in the landfill and so do not take up any space in the long run.

Although grass clippings disappear quickly when returned to the sod or placed in a compost heap, clippings placed within a plastic bag and buried in a landfill are still identifiable after 10 years. The anaerobic conditions within a landfill prevent microbial action.

Myth #5
It is easier and cheaper to put clippings by the roadside than to do anything else with them.

What could be easier than not to catch the clippings and leave them with the lawn? Additionally, landfills are filling up and many cities are considering not picking up clippings or charging a fee for the service. Clippings may constitute 15 to 20 percent of the trash picked up during peak mowing months, and sanitation departments in some Mississippi cities are already identifying houses that generate large amounts of yard waste.

What can be done with the clippings? The easiest and least expensive way to deal with clippings is to leave them where the mower puts them. If you don't like to see clippings on the lawn, invest in a mulching mower. These are designed to cut the clippings into smaller pieces and blow them back into the turf.

If you just have to collect the clippings, start a compost pile. Contact your county Extension agent for instructions on how to make your own soil conditioner and a mulch out of just about everything organic. Grass clippings are a welcome addition to the pile, since they are a rich source of nutrients.

The only time clippings should be removed from the turf is when they block sunlight from reaching the remaining grass. This is normally due to rain's preventing timely mowing.

By Dr. David Nagel, Extension Turf Specialist

Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status.

Information Sheet 1484
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. Ronald A. Brown, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Visit: DAFVM || USDA
Search our Site || Need more information about this subject?
Last Modified: Thursday, 05-Dec-02 10:04:26
URL: http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is1484.htm
Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution.
Recommendations on this web site do not endorse any commercial products or trade names.