![]() ![]() In tight spaces such as between rows of small carrots, we add the clippings a little at a time, usually only an inch deep to start with. We apply loose grass clippings one to three inches deep in the aisles between rows of plants. Once the clippings have heated and cooled, it should be safe to use them up close to plants. The downside to this practice is that if the clippings are too thick and significantly heat up overnight, they may leave a row of damaged, or worse yet, dead, grass underneath where they laid. That allows the grass to dry and cure a bit, allowing their use close to plants as soon as they're gathered. The grass clipping mulch holds back weeds by denying the weed seed light and oxygen, but the heat from fresh clippings can also burn down small existing weeds.Īlternatively, one can let grass clippings sit on the lawn for a day to dry if not piled too deep before raking or sweeping. We often take advantage of this process when mulching the aisles between our melon rows. Just as in a good, working compost heap, decaying grass clippings produce a lot of heat. They begin to do so in the first twenty-four hours after gathering, especially if they're a bit wet and are left in a pile. Hint: Don't get the windrowed clippings too high or thick or they'll be tough to rake and impossible to gather with a lawn sweeper.įresh, green grass clippings are an organic material that naturally decompose. Your mileage may vary in selling that tale. If you mow a lot of ground with a riding mower as we do, a lawn sweeper becomes a necessity, rather than a luxury. Using a leaf rake to rake down a row of clippings is a whole lot easier than having to rake an entire lawn. ![]() Repeat the process, leaving long rows of clippings windrowed across your lawn. To do so, first mow several rows clear and then reverse your mowing direction to blow the clippings towards the cleared patch. If not, you'll want to change your mowing practice a bit to produce small windrows of clippings much like a farmer does when raking hay. If you have a mower with a bagger, you're already in business for gathering your grass clippings. Using clippings from a lawn treated with herbicides can create what is called "killer compost," compost that has retained some of the herbicide's ability to kill plants. Note that the caution about using clippings from a treated lawn applies to compost piles as well. Of course, if you're laying the grass clippings over weed seedlings, such heating and burning can be a very good thing. Just as a pile of grass left on the lawn heats up as it decays and damages or kills the grass under it, fresh clippings applied in an inch or more layer will heat up, "burning" any plant they're touching or near. Secondly, you have to be careful using fresh, wet, green grass clippings around tender young plants. ![]() The herbicides applied for lawn weed control may/will carry over in the clippings and damage your garden plants, if not kill them outright. You cannot use grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated for weeds. Using grass clipping mulch is pretty straightforward, providing one follows a couple of cautions. Clicking on an image will open a larger image in new tab or window. Hover mouse over images to reveal labeling. Grass clippings hold back weeds nicely, help hold moisture in the soil, and add organic matter and fertility to the soil as they decay. I hate to weed, we have a limited water supply that makes watering the garden in the dead of summer a rarity, and I'm really sorta cheap. We really wouldn't have much of a garden without using grass clippings to mulch our many vegetable plots. Clicking through one of our banner ads or some of our text links and making a purchase will produce a small commission for us from the sale.
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