Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

speakup

Each summer, homeowners across the country discard a valuable resource that can help their lawns in a number of ways. Under the false impression that grass clippings cause thatch, many homeowners discard their clippings in garbage bags they tote curbside.

However, the best thing to do with clippings is to allow them to fall back to the turf. When allowing clippings to fall back, up to 25 percent of the fertilizer nutrients are returned to the turf. Grass clippings are 85 to 90 percent water and nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.

For clippings to be effective, mowing the lawn regularly and not letting the grass get too high is essential. A good tool to use is a mulching mower, which boasts unique decks and blades that actually suspend clippings, allowing them to be cut into small pieces, perfect for falling back to the turf.

Mulching mowers, however, are not effective in tall or wet grass, giving homeowners another reason to keep their grass fromgetting too tall between cuts.