Grasscycling

Grasscycling!

Why Should I Grasscycle?

To have a healthy lawn and environment!

• When you grasscycle, you return nutrients to the soil, making your lawn healthy and fertile.  That way you won’t need to add synthetic fertilizers that pollute by leaching chemicals into sewer systems, lakes and streams.  Chemical fertilizers can burn your lawn.
• Transporting grassclippings to the landfill produces air pollution from fuel consumption.
• If the grassclippings end up in the landfill the clippings will breaks down anaerobically, producing methane gas which is 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide as a contributor to climate change.

Bagging grass clippings produces waste that needs to be dealt with and is heavy to haul. Grasscycling can help reduce the mess and strain, and actually improves your turf. What is grasscycling? You’re probably already doing it and just didn’t know. Essentially, it is “mow and go,” and is not only for the lazy gardener but has a host of other benefits. Let’s go over grasscycling information so you can avoid common problems.

What is Grasscycling?

Mowing the lawn doesn’t have to be such a chore if you know how to grasscycle. Even if you don’t have a mulching mower you can grasscycle. The key is in how and when you mow so you can prevent thatch buildup , unsightly grass debris and the clippings are returned to the earth quickly.

Your grass clippings can be a precious resource rather than a pain in the neck to bag and remove. The idea behind the practice is to let clippings fall where they do so they can release nitrogen, and reduce the need for watering, which decreases the incidence of fungal disease like rust and leaf spot.

Grasscycling does not contribute to thatch build up and saves you time. As the clippings break down, they fertilize the lawn, minimizing the need for excess nutrients. Clippings can provide 15 to 20 percent of a lawn’s food needs. This makes for a healthier turf that is thick and leaves no room for pesky weeds.

 Quick Tips about Grasscycling

One of the more important grasscycling tips is to remove no more than 1/3 of each blade. The best length is 2 to 2 ½ inches. Grasscycling information recommends mowing every 5 to 7 days to produce clippings that compost into the lawn quickly.

Try to mow when grass blades are dry. This enhances your mower’s ability to chop the leaves, causes less stress to the grass, and prevents clumps. Avoid scalping the lawn and mow at the correct height for your grass species. In summer, grass should be left a little longer to avoid moisture stress.

If it has been too wet to mow frequently, run over the long clippings an extra time and rake them into the root zone of the lawn. Blow or sweep clippings off inorganic surfaces like sidewalks to avoid them washing into waterways.

Find more tips at:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lgen/how-to-grasscycle-in-the-yard.htm

https://greenactioncentre.ca/reduce-your-waste/grasscycling/

https://www.planetnatural.com/grasscycling/