Lawn professionals and amateur gardeners have been debating the pros and cons of so-called mulch mowing for many decades. This type of mowing differs from traditional lawn cutting only in that our clippings do not end up in the grass catcher as usual, but are chopped extra fine and land on the green meadow. Motivation of hobby gardeners for this type of "waste" disposal:

When mulching, the clippings remain on the lawn
  • The moisture stays in the ground.
  • The lawn is immediately freshly fertilized in a natural way.

So mulching makes the lawn fit?

That's not true, some say. Lawn thatch forms, which would make the entire area unsightly in a very short time. So a research team had to get involved, which had set itself the goal of meticulously observing and scientifically examining a 2,000 m2 grassland area over a period of three years. Head of experiment Prof. Dr. Karl-Ernst Schönthaler and his men from the Institute for Landscape Development at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna divided the area and tended half with traditional and mulch lawnmowers.

Where is the lawn thatch made?

First the most important finding from this long-term test: The formation of the dreaded lawn thatch could not be confirmed with mulch mowing. The opposite was the case, because on the area mowed with the grass catcher, a significant shift in grass species (decrease in meadow meadow grass and increase in red fescue) was observed, which in turn promotes the formation of thatch in the lawn in a special way! It was therefore not only possible to scientifically and convincingly refute the long-held prejudice against mulch lawn mowers, but also to work out some previously undreamt-of advantages, such as the following facts:

Mulched lawn is fresher, more vital and takes less time

  • Saving of 30 to 40 euros/100 m2 in fertilizer costs;
  • More mowing passes than required for grass catcher mowing (21 instead of 17), but still an overall time saving of 20 percent when mulching;
  • 40 percent higher activity of soil organisms and better decomposition of the crop by microorganisms;
  • Unproblematic waste disposal

Our tip for mulching

  • The mulching mower should always be used in such a way that a maximum of one third of the blades of grass have to be cut off. Otherwise, several mowing passes are required to achieve a lawn height of 30 to 40 millimeters over the entire area.
  • When mulching, always make sure that the lawn is as dry as possible, otherwise it tends to form clumps and is not evenly distributed over the turf.

Category:

Garden design