Should You Always Pick Up Your Grass Clippings?

1
Should You Always Pick Up Your Grass Clippings?
2

• Mowing a lawn can be a huge task, especially when
  you consider the time taken to rake the lawn and
  pick up all the clippings, too. However, it might
  pleasantly surprise you to know that most lawns
  are healthier when the clippings are left in
  situ, making the task of mowing your lawn not
  quite such an arduous one.
• What can grass clippings do for your lawn?
• There are many different nutrients within grass
  clippings left over from mowing, some of
  whichinclude potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous.
  These minerals break down into the soil as the
  clippings decompose, enabling grass roots to
  spread outward and strengthen. The nutrients also
  act as food for the microorganisms in the soil
  that eat the harmful thatch.

3

• What is thatch and how can clippings help prevent
  it?
• Commonly referred to as thatch, this is the layer
  of a lawn that is mainly dead turf tissue lying
  between the green grass above and the root system
  and soil below. If thatch becomes too dense and
  is more than ½ an inch thick, this can spell
  trouble for the health of your lawn, as it chokes
  it and can cause it to die from a lack of
  moisture and nutrients. Thatch can also play host
  to diseases and pests. So, if youre planning to
  leave grass clippings on your lawn after youve
  mowed it, youd be advised to remove the thatch
  first by using a vertical mower, garden rake or
  aerifier. This means that when you leave the
  clippings in situ, theyll decompose more easily
  due to their contact with the soil.

4

• What length should the grass clippings be?
• When grass is cut to around an inch and a half in
  length, the clippings should fall between the
  grass blades and contact the soil however, if
  you have too many clippings during the growing
  season, you might want to consider raking the
  excess and putting them on a compost pile or as
  mulch for your vegetable patch.
• When should you remove clippings from your lawn?
• If your grass was taller than usual when you last
  mowed it, then any clippings longer than an inch
  should probably be removed to prevent them from
  suffocating the grass underneath.

5

• The same can happen if you mow your lawn when
  its wet and leave the clippings, and if your
  lawn has any pests or diseases infesting it, then
  you could inadvertently spread them to other
  areas of your lawn through the clippings.
• One way of ensuring that you always act in the
  best interests of your lawn, and keep it looking
  lush and healthy all year round, is to have a
  professional lawncare specialist attend to it
  regularly.

6

• Lawn Excellence offers lawn care service in west
  palm beach. Our professionals are background and
  reference checked, consistently gets high
  customer rating, passed practical lawn care exam
  and fully insured. If you are looking for best
  lawn mowing or lawn edging, shrub trimming, hedge
  clipping, lawn maintenance in west palm beach fl,
  book online or call us at [phone].