Poll: Do you leave your grass clippings on the lawn?

[Jason]

Spring has sprung, and lawn mowers across the country are getting a workout.

Our latest poll asks whether you ever leave your grass clippings on the lawn to help put nutrients back into your soil and lawn, or whether you fastidiously collect every last cut blade. 

Please vote using the poll on the front page of Workshop. And feel free to reply below telling us more about your backyard mowing regimen.

Jason

[Baz]

I've heard that leaving some clippings on the lawn is good to mulch or fertilise the lawn, but I reckon at this time of year you wouldn't want to leave it all on. You need to make sure the grass gets plenty of sun. And remember not to mow too low. 

[Andy_Mann]

Totally agree with @Baz, we had a Flymo hover mower, which mulched the

clippings very finely & left the lawn looking neat. No problem in the drier seasons, the mulch sheltered the turf, quickly broke down, & returned nutrients.

In the wetter seasons, the damp mulch clogged the lawn, eventually suffocated it, & black mold set in.

From my experience, you're better off collecting your clippings in the wetter months, & dealing with them in composting bays, bins, or tumblers.

[Helen]

Sometimes I would but now I have a Ryobi rechargable mower with catcher as am getting older & have lost strength in arms etc. It is good for lawn & may try to tie the flap up occasionally. I have found the lawn needs to be dry which we haven,t had of late but that's a good thing!

[popawisky]

Depends on the length of grass and weed content.

If the grass is high or weedy then disposing the clippings is a sound strategy. For a weel cared for lawn then using a mulching plug on the lawnmower is the way to go. This adds some nutrient to the lawsn and also prevents burning from the sun.

My thoughts anyway. Mulching is also easier for us oldfarts.

pete

[tetris36]

The 'Its good for the lawn dear' line doesn't cut it when the kids come inside covered in clippings from falling over outside. Green waste bin if weedy, compost if grassy.
Plus the boys love playing with rakes, brooms & their little gardening gloves so it becomes a fun game to put the clippings away. I would feel terrible taking away from their positive attitude.

[Jason]

The Workshop community is evenly divided. Exactly 50 per cent of members leave their grass clippings on the lawn, while the other half make sure the clippings are removed.

Thanks for voting in the poll. Feel free to keep the discussion going by replying below.

Jason

[Annette]

No, we don't leave grass cuttings on the lawn. We place the grass clippings as well as any other garden "waste" in to one of 3 compost tumblers. Whave a small to medium vegetable garden and we need the compost to continually enrich our soil.

[Jason]

As its springtime and the grass is about to take off again, it's time to revive this poll topic and see if we can get the definitive verdict from the Workshop community. 

Add your vote to the poll on the front page and feel free to add your comments below.

Jason

[Stephen-H]

I have a rideon mower with a mulching plug and have not collected the clippings for years. Our one acre of lawn looks great most of the year. We do live in the Mildura area so no real hassels over winter