Bag it or mulch it

[Big Ess Fro]

I alwasys bagged my grass when I mowed, and my grass always looked great.

Acting on advice from a friend, I took the bag off of the mower and let the clippings serve as mulch.

Now my yard is starting to look like crap.

I know people say you shouldn't bag the grass, but everybody who does seems to have better grass than those who don't.

thoughts?

 

[grinder]

mulch it!!!!!!!

 

[longyak]

Is you mower a mulching mower? The mower has to cut the clipping small enough to be mulch otherwise bag it.

 

[brntorng]

Yes, make sure you have a good mulching mower (I have a Honda and it does a fantastic job of mulching.) and mulch your clippings. A key is not to let it get too tall before mowing/mulching and you shouldn't remove more than 1/3 of the grass height when mowing. Mulching returns nutrients to the soil and also helps retain moisture in the soil. BTW, we've had a very dry summer so make sure you're watering thoroughly twice a week and that you remembered to fertilize. That might be the source of your grass problem and not because you started to mulch.

 

[EJC+1]

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[TheFied]

Mulch it. I have a Sears Craftsman push mower and it does a good job of mulching it. I have bagged it 2 times. The 1st 2 times. THat's it. Been doing this for almost 2 years and I have zero weeds and other than the drought, it's in great shape.

 

[BA93]

Used to bag only and started mulching over the past year. the lawn is much thicker as old clippings seem to form a barrier between the soil and the top of the St Augustine. Keeps the sun from drying out the soil too much.

 

[wolfman]

Mulch it. Dont wait too long between cuttings though because the longer grass does not seem to mulch as well.

 

[Ignatius]

If your yard is in bad need of aeration and/or has a bad thatch problem, you're better off bagging, at least for awhile. When we moved into our house the previous owners didn't take care of the lawn at all, and the ground was like concrete; mulching under this situation just adds to the problem...

Under normal circumstances mulch the grass, but if the ground isn't sufficiently absorbing water and/or has a high thatch content, you'd be better off bagging until the problem has been corrected...

 

[Big Ess Fro]

Good advice -
I also have a Honda...is it safe to assume all Hondas are good at mulching? If so, I'll chalk it all up to the 100+ degree days here in Dallas and not up to the bag v muclh decision

THANKS!

 

[brntorng]

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[Big Ess Fro]

Great, thanks.