Grass clippings question
pmcaddis
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
david52 Zone 6
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Grass Clippings under my Newspaper Mulch
Comments (4)I agree. I use no chemicals on my lawn, so the clippings are great on the veggie garden. Everytime I mow, I bag, and the clippings go on the garden. In fall all the leaves get shredded with the mower and put on the garden beds, at least a foot thick. By spring they are well down, and by planting time broken down into nice crumbly leaf mold. I have switched to a no till format for the past several years and it seems to have helped. I don't have nearly the weeds I used to, the seeds seem to stay dormant when they are buried, but once you till, up they come! Add all the organics you can whenever you can! Steve...See MoreGrass Clippings brown or Green
Comments (14)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....See MoreGrass clippings question
Comments (3)If it was just fertilizer I wouldn't be concern at all. If it had weed killer or some sort of insect killer in it then I would be a bit more concern. But since it's been from April the chances are that non of that stuff is on the grass and should be fine to use as you please. Most of the time it's not how long ago that it was applied but how much rain happened between now and then....See MoreCompost on existing lawn necessary etc...
Comments (3)To grow a good stand of grass, or most any other plant, you want a soil pH in the 6.2 to 6.8 range because that is where most all soil nutrients are most readily available. 5.9 is a bit low so adding the right lime, calcitic or dolomitic, can help your overall program. Put on compost, or shredded leaves, or something similar, preferably not the bark because that is just not something the soil bacteria will easily digest unless you have a good, healthy soil already. Sand, becasue of the large particle size, does not cause soil compaction, although small amounts mixed with clay can cause clay to bind more tightly together. That is why few of the Ag Research Stations recommend adding sand unless you add at least 45 percent by volume (an extremely large amount of sand). Since this is to be a lawn I'd not be concerned about the Potassium level, once sufficient quantities of organic matter are in the soil that will come up, in my experience. Once your have sufficient levels of organic matter in your soil compaction will not be a problem, so you should only need to aerate this once even though it can take a few years to get sufficient levels of organic matter intothe soil. Rototilling your lawn will leave you with large, bare areas for some time. Properly amending the soil will get grass, as long as what you have is what you want, growing faster. Whether rototilling the grass you have into the soil or not is good or not so good is always the question. Some grass species are very invasive and rototilling can often simply spread the grass roots around and give you more grass, but the grass does add organic matter, so it depends on which grass type you have nad how much future work you want to do. With my Quack Grass simply rototilling creates much more future work, because of the amount of grass that will grow back, than covering the area with newspaper and a mulch material which will kill the existing grass and most of the roots, even though I know I will still get some of that grass growing in that bed in the future. However, the soil is workable enough that pulling those grass plants and roots is very easy. Often a cover crop, of one of those cover crops with allelopathic (plant growth suppression properties) properties can help....See Morepmcaddis
10 years agolisanti07028
10 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years agoallen456
10 years agoKimmsr
10 years agodavid52 Zone 6
10 years agoluckygal
10 years agothatcompostguy
10 years ago
Related Stories
LANDSCAPE DESIGNIs It Time to Consider Fake Grass?
With more realistic-looking options than ever, synthetic turf can be a boon. Find the benefits and an installation how-to here
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESNo-Regret Plants: 5 Questions Smart Shoppers Ask
Quit wasting money and time at the garden center. This checklist will ensure that the plants you're eyeing will stick around in your yard
Full StoryORGANIZINGPre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store
Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?
Full StorySELLING YOUR HOUSE15 Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Real Estate Agent
Here’s what you should find out before selecting an agent to sell your home
Full StoryCURB APPEAL7 Questions to Help You Pick the Right Front-Yard Fence
Get over the hurdle of choosing a fence design by considering your needs, your home’s architecture and more
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN7 Questions to Ask Before Laying Stepping Stones
These broken-up pathways invite you to put a spring in your step — while adding functionality to the garden
Full StoryWORKING WITH PROS12 Questions Your Interior Designer Should Ask You
The best decorators aren’t dictators — and they’re not mind readers either. To understand your tastes, they need this essential info
Full StoryDesign Dilemmas: 5 Questions for Houzzers!
Post Ideas for Landscaping for a Modern Home, Updating a Rental and More
Full StoryEXTERIORSCurb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider
Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPING5 Smokin' Warm-Season Grasses
Beat the heat with beautiful grasses that help your landscape shine from summer through fall
Full StoryDC Area's High-End Custom Landscape Design/Build Firm
9x Best of Houzz
toxcrusadr