If the lawn grows magnificently in the summer months, regular mowing will produce a lot of lawn clippings. However, the severed stalks are much too good for the compost, because they prove to be useful helpers in the fight against weeds. At the same time, they ensure that the soil can retain moisture better on hot summer days.
Lawn clippings provide the lawn with nutrients and prevent weeds
What is lawn clipping good for?
Hobby gardeners are often unsure about what to do with the clippings.
It is excellent for:
- as fertilizer for the lawn,
- as a mulch layer for weed control,
- as a slow-acting natural fertilizer,
- and as a valuable addition to compost
use.
Why is mulching so useful?
If you spread lawn clippings in a layer about five centimeters high under hedges, bushes and trees or in the vegetable patch, no sunlight can penetrate this top layer. Since almost all weeds germinate in the light, weed seeds no longer sprout and the tiresome work of weeding is almost completely eliminated. The grass clippings are slowly converted by microorganisms and thus fertilize the plants at the same time.
You can also take advantage of this property when maintaining the property line. For example, cover the space between the garden shed (€24.90) and the fence with grass clippings, block out the light for stinging nettles and other weeds and this area, which is often difficult to reach, remains weed-free.
Leave grass clippings on the lawn
Always mow when a length increase of no more than five centimeters has been reached, you do not necessarily have to remove the grass clippings. The severed stalks are then short enough to fall between the grass and be converted into valuable humus by soil organisms. This effectively prevents the lawn from becoming overgrown with moss. Since the turf is sufficiently supplied with nutrients, even weed seeds have almost no chance to sprout.
If you want to use the lawn clippings as your own fertilizer, a mulching mower is a sensible purchase. This device cuts the clippings into extremely small pieces while mowing and throws them out again immediately.
tips
In the midsummer heat you should never mow too short. The growth of the grass is only promoted up to about 26 degrees. If the temperatures exceed this mark, they grow more and more slowly. If you then mow the grass very briefly and frequently, the lawn will burn because the shading effect of its own stalks is missing. As a result, the soil dries up and the grass takes care of itself. It is therefore essential to adjust the mowing frequency to the outside temperature.