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Container Gardening

Adding Grass Clippings

13 years ago

What would be the effect of adding fresh grass clippings to the soil mix for containers, or is that best reserved for a mulch?

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

13 years ago

The most immediate 'effect' you'd need to be concerned with is ammonium toxicity, which is so large a probability we can almost call it a certainty, if the grass is any more than a very small fraction of the medium. Next, and also important, is the fact the grass blades will quickly break down into a high-N soup, the effect of which, the consensus remains, will be the gumming up of your medium's porosity. IOW - you're being urged on multiple fronts not to do it.

Al

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Comments (10)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
Grass clippings will clog your soil mix very, very quickly.

They're best used as compost or mulch.

Josh
garf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
How long would it take for grass clippings mixed with soil to break down into something usable?
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if you mound grass clippings much more that 3-4 inches high they will generate enough heat to cook what they touch. Same thing with manure. Where there is considerable distance between plants I mulch in place to save time and labor. I've gotten more weeds from horse manure than grass (the hay from the bedding sprouts) but it's easier than a compost pile. This has always worked for me. I don't have the time or space for a compost pile. I use grass clippings a lot around my tomatoes but as a mulch between the plants (about 6 inches from the plant with a smattering closer to it. )
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You are not the first person that wants some of my excess rain. I would ship it if I could. I will try alfalfa meal. How thick should I lay it on? What is the best source of this, to avoid any chemicals? Actually, there seems to be a lot of earthworms. But I just may be noticing it since earthworms come to the surface to mate when it rains. This is so they will not dry out. I have seen lots of baby earthworms, which is why I wanted to feed them. I spread grass clippings on my beds. I am not walking on them. The cows are flocking to my garden eating worms. I saw them eating the huge ones, which I think are larva to underground beetles. Wood mulch that I just laid down in this poor drainage area, certainly soaked up the excess rain. I will plant rain garden plants there to help drink extra moisture. I guess nature will take care of this mess. I just need to avoid disturbing it, when it is wet. The tomatoes and green beans did better after I added to the mulch that was there. It seemed to soak up some of the extra moisture. It seems we are in for at least 1 more week of rain. I surely hope we don't get water into the house. So far, so good. Mary
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years ago
Garf, grass clipping will break down very rapidly, especially when mixed with native soil rich with decomposing bacteria and fungi.

The very best place for grass clippings is on the lawn where they can quickly (as long as the clippings aren't too long) break down into stuff that will feed the grass and the soil. They can also be mixed up into the compost pile, where they will soon disappear. As long as you don't over fertilize with a nitrogen heavy product and cut your grass frequently enough, there should be no need to remove those nutrient rich clippings upon mowing.

I'd not use piles of clippings as a mulch around plants unless they were mixed in with some soil or compost.

In a container, they will soon turn to mush and clog the air spaces.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
13 years ago
I guess I should have qualified that.
You definitely don't want an anaerobic mat of grass clippings around your plants. ;)

A loose mulch is just fine, however...especially for things like bamboo.

Josh
garf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
I had already added a small amount of grass clippings to a tub of soil/compost mix I use for containers. I just kept it wet and stirred it for a few days. It is already breaking down into something that looks good. We'll see if the plants like it.
meyermike_1micha
13 years ago
The roots won't...They will burn as the grass decomposing even more while robbing your soil of nitrogen at the same time..Good luck..

Mike,,:-)
briergardener_gw
13 years ago
What about mulching containers with grass clippings?
Is it a good or bad idea in general and for tomatoes?
gtippitt
13 years ago
If you let the grass clipping dry out and scatter a thin layer as mulch they work okay. If you compost them they work great. If you work them into the soil and let them decompose before planting they work great.

Don't put fresh clipping around plants as a mulch. When the fresh clipping begin to decompose they will get hot around the plants. I compost grass clipping and leaves to use around my tomato plants, but it will stay too hot for a couple of weeks before it cools enough to put around the plants. The heat during composting helps kill any seeds so they don't sprout in the plants.
garf_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
I can tell you one thing. The broken down grass clippings increases drainage radically. I decided to put some seedlings in the mix and see what happens.

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