Mowing the lawn isn’t necessarily something that you look forward to. Some people like doing it, but others find it to be a chore.
One aspect of mowing the lawn that many people dread is having to bag the grass clippings. Even if you have a mower that bags everything automatically, you’re going to need to figure out what to do with the clippings.
Some people like to try to use the grass clippings for various things. This ensures that they don’t go to waste and it makes it easy for you to get the bags of clippings out of the way.
Can you use grass clippings as mulch? Read on to learn the answer to this question as well as some other ideas about how to utilize grass clippings in your yard.
You Can Use Grass Clippings as Mulch
It is indeed possible to use grass clippings as mulch. If you want to use grass clippings as mulch, then you’ll be able to do so in several different ways.
Mulching using grass clippings is something that you can do to help your lawn, but it can also be done in your garden areas. It just depends on what you want to do.
In fact, some people just leave the grass clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them up. This is usually going to be fine, assuming that you mow your lawn often enough.
It would be bad to leave a layer of grass clippings on the lawn that is too thick, though. You see, the clippings could wind up smothering the lawn if you have too thick of a layer.
If the wet grass clippings get matted down, then it’ll wind up keeping oxygen and moisture from reaching the soil. This means that patches of your lawn could suffer or die if you don’t take action.
A thin grass clipping mulch layer will be perfectly acceptable. Try to keep the mulch layer one or two inches thick to get optimal results.
This is a great choice when you don’t have a mower that bags things automatically. You’ll save yourself a lot of time if you mow often enough that you can use the clippings to mulch the lawn.
Using the Grass Clippings to Mulch Your Garden
You can also use grass clippings to mulch the garden if you want to. Just as before, you’re going to want to use a thin layer of mulch so that the soil will be able to get enough oxygen and moisture.
Lay down one or two inches of grass clippings to use as mulch. This should give your plants nutrients so that they can grow strong.
It’s a good way to use grass clippings when you have too much. For example, you might have mowed your lawn a bit later than you should have.
This means that you’ll have a thick layer of grass clippings on your lawn. Since you know that it’s bad for your lawn, you’re going to want to bag the clippings up.
You can distribute some of the clippings on the lawn to act as mulch if you want. Use the rest to mulch your garden area so that your plants can thrive.
There are many benefits to using grass clippings as mulch. You’ll be able to water a bit less than usual since the mulch will help with moisture retention.
It’ll also be nice to suppress weed activity in your garden. A nice layer of mulch will keep weeds from being able to sprout, and you’ll have much less maintenance work to do overall.
When Using Grass Clippings as Mulch, the Clippings Must Be Dry
There’s another thing to consider when you wish to use grass clippings as mulch. You need to ensure that the clippings are dry first.
Wet clippings will become problematic in certain ways. Above, it was mentioned that grass clippings can become matted down, and this is much more likely when the clippings are wet.
If you attempt to use wet clippings as mulch, then the oxygen and moisture deprivation issues will be worse. It won’t be good for the soil, and you’ll be getting much worse results than you hoped.
Thankfully, it’s rather easy to just wait until the clippings have dried out. Even if the clippings were wet at first, you’ll be able to allow the air to dry them over time.
Once the clippings have dried, you’ll just need to remember not to apply mulch layers that are too thick. So long as you approach things responsibly, it’ll be easy to get good results.
Use Grass Clippings to Make Compost
Using grass clippings to make compost will be a good idea as well. Making a compost bin is rather simple, and it’s a great way to turn organic waste into something that can be helpful to your plants.
You’ll find that grass clippings are a great source of nitrogen. The clippings break down very quickly, too.
To have the best results, you should mix grass clippings with organic waste such as newspaper clippings, other types of shredded paper, cardboard, and straw. Just go through the composting process as normal and you’ll do well.
The grass clippings should break down throughout the warm months. You’ll have plenty of compost that will be ready to use during the autumn.
Turn Grass Clippings Into Liquid Plant Food
Did you know that some people like to turn grass clippings into liquid plant food? This is a great way to make organic fertilizer that will be good for your plants.
To do this, you’re going to need to steep grass clippings in buckets of water. Keeping the water indoors can actually be helpful as a mosquito repellent.
In two weeks, the watery mixture should smell pretty pungent. It’s going to be a bit tough to put up with the smell, but your plants will absolutely love it.
To use this as fertilizer, it’s going to be possible to just add a bit of your DIY fertilizer mixture to your watering can. Then you can just water the plants as normal.
Anyone who is looking to save a bit of cash on fertilizer will like this idea. It is a lot of work to go to, though, and it might not be appealing to have stinky water sitting around somewhere.
Grass Clippings Can (Potentially) Be Used to Feed Livestock
If you’re looking for other ways to use grass clippings, then you’ll be happy to know that they can be used to feed livestock. This will only be possible if you cut the grass using a mower that doesn’t use gas, though.
This means that grass that is cut using an electric mower or a hand-push mower will be fine to use. You can use the clippings to supplement the feed of livestock safely.
Any herbivores should be able to eat grass clippings such as this. You could feed your pet rabbit some grass clippings or you could give some to a guinea pig.
Of course, you won’t want to use wet grass clippings for this. Wet clippings spoil too fast and they might wind up making the livestock sick if you aren’t careful.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many great ways that you can use grass clippings to help around your property. You can use them as fertilizer or mulch if you so desire.
If you’re looking for something a bit different, then you could use the clippings as supplemental feed for livestock. Either way, you’re going to be using the grass clippings to the fullest.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.