Save
Time and Money!
Reduce Waste!
Did you know that
a 1/2 acre lawn in New England produces over 3 tons or nearly
260 bags of grass clippings each year? Think of all the
time, money and effort it would take to bag all those clippings.
Why go through all that hassle when it's really not necessary?
You can have a
healthy green lawn by leaving grass clippings where they
fall! It's simple...grass clippings left on the lawn will
decompose and act as a natural organic fertilizer. This
allows you to reduce the amount of additional commercial
fertilizer you need to apply. Your lawn will still be healthy
and green because each time you mow, you will be returning
valuable nutrients to the soil!
The key word is
"less"... less fertilizer, less water, less work,
and best of all, less waste! Recycling clippings back into
the lawn requires less effort than disposing of them as
waste. No one has to handle the clippings - not you, not
your lawn care professional and not the waste management
crew. You can reduce your mowing time by nearly 40% by not
bagging, and spend less money on fertilizer and trash bags.
And by not trashing grass, you'll be doing yor part for
the environment by reducing waste!
If you follow
these "Don't Trash Grass" moving, fertilizing
and watering guidelines, not only will you have a healthy
lawn, but you'll never have to bag grass clippings again.
| Any
mower can recycle grass clippings. Simply remove the
grass catcher! Ask your law mower dealer if a special
safety plug or adaptor kit is needed to convert your
mower into a "recycling" mower. You can
also have a mulching blade installed. |
| Keep
your grass mowed to 2" - 3" tall. |
| Do
not remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade in any
single mowing. For example, if your lawn is kept at
2" tall, it should not be allowed to grow higher
than 3" before it is mowed again. |
| Mow
when the grass is dry. |
| Keep
your mower blade sharp. Dull mowers tear the grass
blade, injure the plant, and create a brownish cast
to the turf. |
| If
the grass gets just a bit too high, mow over the clippings
a second time to further shred and scatter them. |
| If
excessive growth occurs between mowings, raise the
mower height, mow, and then gradually lower it over
a span of several mowings. This will help prevent
shock to the plants. |
| When
it's time to replace your mower, consider buying a
mulching, recycling, or a non-polluting reel mower.
All of these do a good job of shredding and scattering
grass clippings. |
Don't worry
about grass clippings contributing to thatch problems. Turf
experts nationwide agree that clippings do not produce thatch
because they are 80% water and decompose quickly. Rather,
thatch is the accumulation of dead roots and stems and is
most often caused by over-fertilizing and ovre-watering.
A thatch layer of more than 1/2" should be removed
as a matter of healthy lawn maintenance.
Compost
Clippings at Home
Clippings are
an excellent source of nitrogen for your compost pile. No
more than 1/3 of the pile should be fresh clippings. Mix
thoroughly with "brown" materials such as leaves
or straw and turn the pile regularly to keep it well oxygenated
and to prevent odors.
Use Clippings
as Mulch
Apply dried
grass clippings directly on the soil about 1 inch thick
to reduce weeds, moderate soil temperature, and control
soil spattering, erosion, run-off and evaporation. Don't
mulch with clippings which have been recently treated with
herbicides. This can harm your plants. As a precaution,
mulch with clippings from herbicide-treated lawns only after
two lawn mowings.
Incorporate
Clippings into Garden Soil
Mixing fresh
grass clippings into the garden adds nutrients and organic
matter and improves the soil's texture and moisture-retention
properties. A two-inch layer of grass can be turned into
the soil to a depth of 6" about once a month.
Proper fertilizer
application is important. When it comes to fertilizer, more
is not better! Research shows that most grasses require
only modest levels of nitrogen for good color and controlled
growth. Too much fertilizer will make your lawn grow faster,
resulting in more mowing and more clippings!
Apply fertilizer
to your lawn in late April and again in September. If a
third treatment is needed, apply in late May. Apply only
1/2 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn at each
application. To figure this out, divide 100 by twice the
percentage of nitrogen(N) in the fertilizer. This will give
you the application rate in pounds of fertilizer per 1000
square feet of lawn.
For example:
| Fertilizer
NPK Rating % |
Divide
100 by twice the % of Nitrogen (N) |
Lbs.
of fertilizer to use per 1,000 sq. ft. |
| 12-4-8 |
100/24 |
=4.1
lbs. |
| 16-8-8 |
100/32 |
=3.1
lbs. |
| 20-5-10 |
100/40 |
=2.5
lbs. |
| 10-10-10 |
100/20 |
=5.0
lbs. |
For slower, more
uniform growth, choose fertilizers containing sources of
slow-release nitrogen such as methylene urea, unreaformaldehyde,
sulfur coated urea, or IBDU. The bag may also read "water-insoluble
nitrogen" or "slow release nitrogen." All
are acceptable and will increase the amount of time the
grass can use the nutrient.
| |
New
England has enough rain so turf grasses don't have
to be watered to survive. Lawns which turn brown and
dormant during periods of drought will turn green
rapidly when moisture in the soil is replaced. The
more you water your lawn, the faster it's going to
grow and the more you will have to mow it! Conserve
resources - Let Mother Nature water your lawn! |
| |
If
you choose to water, 1 inch of water will wet the
soil to a depth of 4" - 6". Place an empty
can under the sprinkler to measure when an inch has
been applied. If water begins to run off the lawn
before an inch is applied, turn off the water and
let it soak in for an hour or so, then resume watering
until 1 " is applied. |
| |
Water
deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root
growth. Light, frequent watering encourages shallow
roots and may lead to increased disease and stress
injury. |
| |
Water
is in the morning. Less water is lost through evaporation
and transpiration. |
| |
Don't
water at mid-day. Try not to water in the evenings.
A lawn that remains damp during the night is more
prone to disease. |
Consider alternatives
to turf grass. Plant ground covers such as English ivy,
pachysandra, and periwinkle; increase shrub beds; or grow
a wildflower meadow. They look beautiful, don't need mowing
and will help reduce lawn maintenance and yard waste!
Reproduced with permission
from the RI Department
of Environmental Management.. For more information,
contact the Department:
401-222-6800
Return to the Introduction to Yard Waste
