Grasscycling Saves Water

The warmer temperatures are here and lawns and gardens are springing up. Chances are very good you've already mowed your lawn. Now is the time to look ahead to the hot summer months and install your inground sprinkler system. Sprinkler systems save water and take the guess work out of keeping your lawn and gardens green and vibrant.

Another way to help save water is to leave the grass clippings on our lawn. There are several benefits, but the best one is that you don't have to gather them up! Grass clippings are piling up in yard waste facilities and many municipalities across Canada are asking home owners to deal with their own grass clippings

Shade

Recycling your grass clippings provides shade to the soil on your yard helping to retain moisture. Whether you leave the clippings on the lawn to break down, or pile them around the base of various plants in your garden, they help the soil retain moisture and act as a biodegradable mulch to help prevent weeds from growing. This means you'll have to water a little less and you won't have to gather up and replace the mulch every season.

Fertilizer

Many homeowners struggle to know which synthetic fertilizer to use, when to use it, and how to apply it. Grass clippings are really just leaves and stems and so break down quickly providing much-needed nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (identified on commercial fertilizer with the initials N, K, and P respectively). Clippings break down quickly because they're small, so you won't have to worry about smothering your grass. Grass clippings will never burn your lawn and you don't have to worry about watering correctly to dilute the fertilizer so it reaches the soil.

Mowing Strategy

Proper mowing techniques save water in a variety of ways. You have a lawn not a hay field, so mow your lawn regularly to avoid leaving furrows behind. One trick is blow the clippings onto a portion of the lawn you haven't cut yet so you pass over them multiple times so they're broke down further. Clippings that are small will break down more quickly. Sharpened mower blades will reduce stress on your lawn and make mowing easier.

Thatch

Thatch can be a real problem and in bad cases require professional dethatching services. However some people wrongly believe that grass clippings cause or exasperate thatch problems. Thatch is causes when decaying organic material accumulates on top of the soil faster than it decomposes. Thatch prevents water and other nutrients reaching the soil. When clippings are kept small and lawns are mowed frequently, this shouldn't be a problem. Grass clippings are usually small enough to break down quickly.

When Not To Recycle Grass Clippings

• Don't leave grass clippings on your lawn if it has a disease. The clippings can prolong treatment.
• Don't leave wet clumps of clippings on your lawn. Clumps and wet lumps can smother grass instead of fertilizing it.
• Don't wait to mow the lawn until it's so long that the grass clippings leave furrows on the grass. Either mow the rows of clippings repeatedly to further break down the size or gather them up.
• Don't leave the grass clippings on your lawn if you have to prop open a door or flap on your mower. If the mower was designed to gather clippings into a bag attachment, it's dangerous to operate the mower without the bag.

The inground sprinkler system experts at Nutri-Lawn Burlington Irrigation can help you take the guess work out of residential irrigation and we offer the major brands with professional expertise.
Contact us today for your complimentary quote.