SHOULD YOU BAG GRASS CLIPPINGS SERIES

SHOULD YOU BAG GRASS CLIPPINGS SERIES

Honda HRN Series, HRX Series, and HRC Series push mowers and all STIHL battery mowers come with a bag attachment. Material collection systems are available for John Deere 100 Series, S240 Series, X300 Series, X500 Series, X700 Series, Z300 Series, and Z500 Series mowers. You can save time and effort by using a material collection system (MCS). You could also have a compost pile for clippings.īe sure to check local and state laws if you decide to bag and dispose of clippings.īagging yard clippings or leaves with a rake can take a while. If you notice signs of disease, you may want to collect the clippings to prevent it from spreading. Around fall when leaves start to cover your lawn, having a bagger around will save some time raking. The most common is when the yard is several inches tall and clippings cover the lawn, preventing nutrients from reaching the grass below. You may decide to bag clippings for a variety of reasons. Mulching is great, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. For tips on sharpening blades, check out our guide on sharpening vs buying blades. These blades should be kept sharp so the mower doesn't have to work too hard.

We recommend using a set of mulching blades to help with circulation and cutting. If you're looking for a walk-behind mower, all STIHL battery mowers and Honda lawn mowers are capable of mulching.

The one-touch option for the MulchControl kit (allowing it to be switched on/off from the seat) can be found on John Deere X300 and X500 Select Series lawn tractors. These decks can be found on the John Deere 100 Series, S240 Series, X300 Series, X500 Series, X700 Series, Z300 Series, and Z500 Series mowers. This kit is available for mowers with High-Capacity, Accel Deep, and Edge Cutting System decks. It allows the discharge chute to be opened or closed with ease. If you're looking for a riding mower to mulch with, consider the John Deere MulchControl Kit. With a push mower, it's as simple as covering the discharge chute. Most mowers should be capable of mulching. The grass clumps together and sticks to the underside of the deck, causing circulation issues and leaving small piles of grass all over the yard.

Doesn't work well for wet grass - when the grass is wet, you may run into some issues when trying to mulch.

Harder on your mower - if you try to mulch when the yard is tall, your mower is working harder to chop up the clippings.

You can do some research on laws that might affect you or just mulch and play it safe. Dumping yard waste is banned in some states, and leaving yard clippings all over the road can get you in trouble with some local authorities.

Legal - that's right, you won't get in trouble with the law if you're leaving your clippings in the yard.

Keeping the clippings circulating under the deck will also prevent them from ending up on the road or walkways.

Better appearance - discharging will leave larger clippings in the yard, so mulching them into finer pieces will make the yard look cleaner.

Letting the lawn naturally decompose clippings is much easier.

Less work - raking, bagging, and handling the clippings can take a lot of time and effort.

This is sometimes referred to as 'grasscycling.' Despite popular belief, leaving clippings in the yard won't contribute to thatch.

Healthy for your lawn - clippings are returned to the lawn, providing nutrients and helping the soil retain moisture.

They will eventually make their way back down into your lawn. If you have a mulching kit to plug the chute, the cut grass blades will recirculate inside the deck, allowing them to be cut into finer pieces. The difference in mulching and discharging is in the chute (and blades). Leaving the clippings (mulching & discharging)Īll mowers are capable of discharging and will have a chute on the side or back for grass clippings to exit. We'll go over the pros and cons of each and let you decide. Leaving the clippings in the yard is almost always best, but in some situations, you may choose to bag them. If you leave clippings on the yard after mowing, you've fed and watered it with no extra work required. Grass blades are composed of about 85% water, with other organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, making up the rest. Are you mowing, watering, and fertilizing your lawn at the same time? Believe it or not, you may already be doing it.

Should you bag grass clippings