Grass Recycling

What is Grass Recycling?

Grass recycling is the process of leaving grass clippings on your lawn, instead of removing them while mowing. Leaving clippings on the lawn will allow soil microorganisms to break them down naturally, which releases nutrients back into the soil. These nutrients can then be used by the turf plant as an additional food source.

Why should I recycle my clippings instead of bagging them?

It's good for your lawn:

• Clippings enhance the health and growth of the turf by reducing evaporation of moisture from the lawn by keeping soil temperature cooler.
• It has been estimated that lawn clippings, which are 95 percent water and 5 percent nitrogen, can return up to 25 percent of the nitrogen back to turf grass.

It's good for the environment:

• It keeps clippings out of landfills. Unnecessary disposal of grass clippings account for 2/3rds of all yard waste.

It's good for you:

• It takes less time than bagging, because you don't have to stop to empty the bag.
• If you live in a municipality that charges extra fees to landfill yard waste, grass recycling will also save you money.

What about clumps?

Clumps are ugly, and when left on the surface of the turf grass damages the plant underneath. The key to avoiding clumps is the size of the clippings: the smaller the clippings, the better. Smaller clippings fall more rapidly to the soil surface and are less likely to clump. Once you have mowed your lawn, if large clumps are visible, simply mow the area again to reduce the clippings size.