After firing up your lawn mower, what next? Mowing your lawn is essential, but how do you deal with the blanket of grass clipping once you are done? A reader with a large yard has been asking how to collect grass after cutting.
Grass clipping will always be part of your lawn, and many homeowners struggle to find a way to make this daunting task more straightforward.
However, despite the benefits of grass clipping on the lawn, it has detrimental effects, especially when the clippings are in thick clumps. These thick clippings will smother your yard, taking away the beauty of your lawn. Furthermore, the grass clipping will give your lawn an uglier look.
What many folks usually ask is what to do with grass clipping. Mowing your lawn is a regular necessary chore for a neat lawn, but the grass clipping isn’t ideal to be left lying on your lawn if you are not one of those people who dislike the grass clipping around.
Read on to learn how to collect grass after cutting.
Contents
Why should you collect the grass clippings?
As we mentioned earlier, grass cutting on your lawn puts your lawn at risk of thatch formation. Thatch is a combination of both dead and living grass that prevents water and nutrients from reaching the roots of your grass.
Additionally, grass clippings are messy. You will end up tracking the grass cutting all over the yard. The grass cutting will be drifted around your property, and even your walkway will look like your lawn. Don’t forget to account for the rain; the grass clipping will be stuck on your boots.
The grass cuttings are excellent at retaining water, which is not good since slugs tend to love a dump environment.
How to collect grass after cutting
1. Lawn sweeper
If you want to make your large lawn appear well-manicured without paying the price of body sores, then perhaps the lawn sweeper is the best option. The lawn sweeper makes the collecting grass a walk in the park.
This machine works quickly and effectively, picking up leaves, grass cuttings, and even pine needles. But they are not meant to pick up rocks and large branches, so make sure you pick them up before using the lawn sweeper.
The lawn sweeper combines the principle of raking and bagging. It has rotating cylindrical brushes that will pick up the lawn cutting while being gentle on your lawn. The grass cuttings are then transferred to a bagger attached to the machine or a hopper. If you have a denser lawn, you will have to make frequent stops to empty the bag.
There are two types of lawn sweepers a push type and the two-behind type, the first operates manually and is best for folks with a modest lawn and properties; an example of the best push-style lawn sweeper is the Earthwise LSW70021 21-Inch Leaf & Grass Push Lawn Sweeper.
The tow-behind lawn sweeper is usually hooked behind a riding lawn mower.
Once you have your lawn sweeper, put on some heavy-duty gloves to protect you from thorns and sharp objects and after mowing your lawn as you usually do. Pick up large branches and rocks, then adjust your lawn sweeper’s brushes until it touches the grass.
Then start pushing the lawn sweeper back and forth in opposite directions until the hopper is full. Empty the hopper and continue sweeping until your lawn is clean.
Set aside the tiresome hand-picking method you have been doing this season and get a lawn sweeper. Trust me; you will enjoy cleaning your lawn.
2. Lawn vacuum
Another efficient way to collect grass clippings on your lawn within a snap is to use a lawn vacuum. Despite its reputation as a loud polluter, this equipment gets the job done.
The grass vacuum cleaner, like carpet cleaning, will make your job easier. However, this method works best when the grass clippings are dry because wet grass clippings clump together, making it harder for the device to suck in the waste.
There are lawn vacuums with a snout and ones like lawn tractors. The lawn vacuum sucks up the lawn cuttings filling the bag attached to it. The full bag is dismounted and the contents disposed of. Most people who have tried this method will find that this machine performs better on hardscape than on the lawn.
Additionally, the lawn vacuum is best on a modest lawn; otherwise, on a large lawn, you will find that a rake will play an important role in raking up the clippings into smaller piles and then use a lawn vacuum.
The lawn vacuums are in two types, the handheld, and the tow-behind lawn vacuum. The first one is a wallet-friendly choice and maneuverable. It will clean up the grass cuttings in tight spots. In contrast, the tow-behind lawn vacuum is pricey and ideal for commercial users. But it requires less effort and has additional features that make it very effective.
Handheld and tow-behind lawn vacuums are both powerful machines and should be used safely and properly. The good thing is that they always come with a manual. Just follow the manual, and your lawn will look like your carpet after a vacuum clean-up.
3. Blower
The blower is another useful gadget that operates similarly to a vacuum lawn but is much more powerful and capable of blowing away even wet grass cuttings.
However, don’t expect to blow every grass cutting from your lawn, so don’t be too picky about it. The remainder will be easily raked or collected by hand.
A blower is a powerful tool that will collect the grass cuttings in a large pile that can be readily retrieved. The size of your grass will determine the sort of lawn blower you purchase. A larger lawn will necessitate a more powerful blower.
To use the blower properly, arrange a tarp in a suitable location and blow the grass clippings in that direction with a smooth back-and-forth motion. The job will be easier when the leaves to be collected are dry and the weather is cool.
4. Raking
It’s an old-fashioned method of dealing with grass clippings, but it’s incredibly effective at cleaning up the mess on your lawn.
Although it is a simple and effective procedure, it should be used with caution because it can cause additional damage to your lawn if done incorrectly. Fortunately, several varieties of rakes on the market will meet your demands without destroying your landscaping.
Choose a rake that will handle well a delicate part of your grass; plus, the rake should be long enough and adjustable to save you from unnecessary back strains. Remove rocks and twigs before you start raking, and be careful while raking, or else you will end up with a thinned lawn.
Raking should also be done at the right time of year so that your lawn can recover faster. Using the rake, collect the grass clippings into large piles, then bag them and dispose of them or add them to your compost.
Raking is an effective method for removing grass clippings. The rake is lightweight and simple to operate. However, if your grass is large, this is not a viable alternative.
5. Use a bag attachment
A big lawn will stress you up if you have to collect a grass cutting. This should not worry you; a grass attachment or bag attachment will come in handy, collecting grass and cutting as you mow, making mowing fun.
All you have to do is to sit on your lawnmower tractor and fix the grass’s catcher at the back of the mower. Fortunately, there are a variety of grass catchers, side and rear.
The only pressing problem with this procedure is figuring out how to attach the collection bag. However, this is dependent on the type of lawnmower. If you have a push mower, you must attach the catcher bag to the back discharge. Open the discharge cap, insert the catcher, and secure it.
Those who own a riding mower will want a bracket to keep the bag in place. Place the brackets on the back of the mower first, followed by the catcher. If your mower has a side output, a side catcher will come in handy.
6. Mow twice
Mowing your lawn twice is just like it sounds, mowing on the same day in the same session or a few days apart. So, it will be cost-effective to double-mow your lawn. Purchasing separate devices that will help you collect grass can be quite expensive.
The trick with this method is to get the grass cuttings into fine pieces, almost making it invisible o your lawn. The finer grass clipping will decompose quickly; after a week, you will have a clean, well-trimmed lawn.
To get the grass clippings to smaller pieces, start by setting your mower on a higher setting, then change to a lower setting. Mow in opposite directions to ensure all the clippings are cycled. This method not only removes the grass cutting but also gives nutrients to your lawn.
See also: best lawn fungicide for brown patch
7. Mow around the perimeter
This is an excellent method for decreasing grass clippings in your yard. Traditionally, mowing your lawn distributes grass clippings all over your yard.
Instead of mowing around the perimeter, which makes it easier to collect, blow it to the center at the end to finish up with a clean row of grass clippings instead of clippings all over.
See also: How to dig out a patch of grass
Benefits of leaving grass cutting
Let’s not vilify the grass cutting on our lawns, there may be some benevolence to our lawn, and they don’t cause thatching as many of us think.
The grass cuttings on your lawn improve the quality of your lawn by giving nutrients to your lawn. It contains important nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Providing overall nutrients to your lawn allows the roots to branch out stronger.
In addition to providing nutrients to your lawn, leaving grass cutting on your lawn will save you the time of having to remove them. Less work for you means more time to spend with your family. You don’t have to worry about this daunting chore.
See also: how to ask neighbors to mow their lawn
When to collect grass cutting
Using a blower, lawn sweeper, rake, or lawn vacuum to remove grass cutting from your yard is not always necessary. Grass clippings are considered harmful, but on the contrary, they play an important role in your lawn. It acts like mulch and also decomposes to provide nutrients to your lawn.
When your lawn has been suffering from a turf disease like rust, removing the cuttings is very important after mowing your grass. Failure to remove the grass cutting will spread the disease on your lawn. So, when do you leave or remove grass cuttings from your lawn?
Another time to remove the grass clipping is when your grass is taller. When you mow tall grass, you will end up having cuttings that are more than 1 inch.
Long cuttings are heavy and bulky. They will mat on your lawn, smothering your grass. The situation can worsen if you’re the cutting becomes wet.
See also: Cheap alternatives to grass lawn
Mowing is a necessary duty that is also enjoyable; nevertheless, most homeowners are concerned about how to maintain a tidy lawn after mowing.
Simply wandering around picking up grass cuttings is enough to convince you to change that nice green lawn into a parking lot or a swimming pool. But don’t let the grass trimming become an eyesore and discourage you from maintaining a healthy, appealing lawn.
Sheets of grass cuttings are not only unsightly, but they also have the intrinsic potential to move all over your land by whatever methods available. So, use these grass-clipping collection strategies to create a healthier and more appealing lawn.
The way you use to collect grass cutting will be influenced by the time of day and the size of your lawn. Knowing how to collect grass after cutting is essential for maintaining a beautiful lawn.
“Sayonara,” happy gardening!
Reference
Oregon state university: It is best to cut grass often and leave clippings on the lawn
Virginia Cooperative Extension: Mowing to Recycle Grass Clippings — Let the Clips Fall Where They May
