I'm pretty sure dried grass clippings are still a green. I don't know about nitrogen content.

The ink in newspapers these days are made from soy ink. Totally safe. I use newspapers for the base of my mulch. Straw on top of it to make it look tidier (and to keep it from blowing away). The only places I get weeds are where there's no newspaper.

the dried clippings will have slightly less N, but are still a definite "green", just like properly cured hay - the N level can range from about 9:1 for very fresh wet clips from a lush [fertilized] lawn, down to 20:1 for yer average neglected lawn left to dry a while

and yes on the newsprint inks being OK

Bill

All newspapers today print with soya based inks, simple economics. Years ago they did use petrochmical inks, because that was what there was, but to day there is enough price difference that if a business manager of a newspaper spent money on petrochemical inks when the much less expensive soya based inks are available he would not be employed very long.
How much Nitrogen would be in "dried" grass would depend on how it was cured. The "stink" coming from piles of grass clippings would be the nutrients, primarily Nitrogen, escaping to the atmosphere.

"the dried clippings will have slightly less N, but are still a definite "green" "

I thought that well-dried grass clippings would be a brown.

Other opinions?

Robert - you'd have to define "well-dried" as it means very different things to different folks. Grass clippings are greens until they are dry enough to crumble to dust and blow away. ;)

More discussion on the same question from last week.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grass clippings - Green or Brown

I thought that well-dried grass clippings would be a brown.

If you think of "greens" as coming from protein and "browns" as being mostly carbohydrates, then it all becomes much clearer (at least to me). Wheat flour, corn meal, soy bean meal, and other ground up grains are well dried ground up seeds. They are all very green because of their high protein content. Grass (think animal forage) has a lot of protein, too. However tree leaves, whether fresh (green in color) or dried (brown in color), don't have much protein at all, nor does paper pulp. These are always browns. Molasses is nearly pure carbohydrate and therefore a brown. Coffee grounds are ground up beans and green. Hair, leather, and feathers are nearly pure protein and green.

From the thread linked below:
Quote:I'm wondering if my grass clippings ("greens") become "browns" if they stay on the lawn long enough to dry out and turn, well, brown?I'm wondering if my grass clippings ("greens") become "browns" if they stay on the lawn long enough to dry out and turn, well, brown?

Yes, but we are talking longer than most would leave their grass clippings staying on the lawn before they'd qualify as a brown. Ever seen anyone mow a pasture for hay? If not, come down here and I'll let you mow. ;) The point is, after we mow we wait a couple of days before windrowing, and then once windrowed it lays for a week + or - a day depending on weather before baling. Once baled it is still "green" in color and N rating and "stinky" smell.

Granted your short grass will dry and brown faster than hay but if you are going to count it as a primary source of brown (and there are several better options available) make sure it has really, really dried first or you'll find your self with a stinky problem.
here is a link to this earlier thread. It has links to even earlier and additional informative links.

I should qualify that post of mine, Albert.

Make sure it is really, really, really, REALLY dried first. ;) Cracked open a year old square bale yesterday and its still green and smelly. Planned to spread it in the garden. Mixed it into one of compost piles instead.

THank you for the protein/carb analogy- that helps with a question I just posed on my own thread a minute ago.

Yes, of course, grass does turn brown when it dries. However Brown and Green is not a function of color. It relates to the Carbon or Nitrogen content.

Ideal C:N ratio is 25:1 to 30:1.
Greens have less Carbon (i.e. 15:1)
Browns have more Carbon (i.e. 50:1)

Some ideal combinations by volume:

Coffee Grounds (C:N = 20:1)
Saw Dust (C:N = 500:1)
50 Parts Coffee Grounds and 1 Part Saw Dust
This combination will give a C:N of 28:1

Seaweed (C:N = 19:1)
Saw Dust (C:N = 500:1)
50 Parts Seaweed and 1 Part Saw Dust
This combination will give a C:N of 28:1

The most practical combination for most of us is what we normally rake up into piles. Loads of grass and leafs:

Grass (C:N = 20:1)
Dry Leafs (C:N = 60:1)
3 Parts Leafs and 1 Part Grass
This combination will give a C:N of 30:1

And I didn't mention that nitrogen is a component of amino acids (building blocks of protein), so that's where the protein fits into the equation. The nitrogen is stored in the proteins.

Oops. I goofed. I reversed the grass to leaf ratio in the above post. It should be 3 Parts Grass and 1 Part Leaf to give a C:N of 30:1

Thanks,
I just got a new UCT-7 tumbler. I filled it with what I
had on hand which was about 60% fresh grass clippings
and 40% cardboard run through a paper shredder. I added
a little blood and bone meal and after 3 days it's up to
120F and reduced in volume by about 1/4-1/3. It seems to
be working and it barely smells. I was afraid with so much
grass I was going to get a nasty mess. By the time I'm ready
to load it again I hope to have more variety on hand.
It's about time to recycle my Brassicas. I've got 3-4 cu/ft
or additional cardboard shredded. A bunch of UCG, tea leaves,
veggie trimmings etc. I;m going to get a bale of straw,
and of course I have more grass clippings than I can use.
Landrum

Can someone inform me of the PH of grass clippings? I wanted to use them as a mulch on some blueberries, but i'm scared there not acidic enough.