Mulching

Forums › Off topic › Mulching

rb99

3401 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#222605 20-Aug-2017 13:47

So, big question of national importance - when you guys cut the grass, do you collect and dispose of clippings or do you leave / mulch them in.

Have often noticed how our grass (clippings collected) is, allowing for rounding errors 99% weed, while the local playing fields (clippings mulched) actually consist of grass.

Also, if you mulch, do you just not attach the collection basket thing, or did you buy an expensive flash fancy pants mulching lawnmower ? Is there really much difference ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

1 | 2

4235 posts

Uber Geek

#1849235 20-Aug-2017 14:21

i have a mulching lawnmower and would never change , i just hate emptying catchers , it adds 20 minutes to mowing my lawn. Mine is also self propelled so i just have to guide it and walk behind it. Plus down my street most people lawns look brown and bare in summer , mine are lush and green. One draw back is i have to mow them once a week in summer or they get out of control.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Goosey

2775 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1849238 20-Aug-2017 14:30

first step for you would be to spray some weed n feed. Then go get yaself some new seed and some soil and spread it around.

Lawn Porn

MikeB4

18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1849239 20-Aug-2017 14:32

over mulching the lawn can result in thatching which is a mission to deal with. We use a mulching mower but cut using the catcher every third mow.

k1w1k1d

1475 posts

Uber Geek

#1849243 20-Aug-2017 14:43

I think another problem is cutting the lawn too low. If the lawn is allowed to grow a bit longer it can compete with the weeds and moss etc.

MikeAqua

7769 posts

Uber Geek

#1849259 20-Aug-2017 15:47

Generally you need mower designed for mulching. They typcially have (as a minimum) a mulching plug that ensures the clippings stay under the cutting deck.

Most mulching mowers are designed to keep the clipping airborne for longer so they get cut up finer.

I had a mulching ride-on, which I cut about an acre with.

The secret was to go keep the grass reasonably long (I used ~75mm) not go too fast cut small amounts off, frequently. When the the grass was really growing that meant doing two laps - with the first lap at higher height.

I also used to spray blood and bone to feed the lawn, with a bit of compost booster mixed into it. This created an environment where the clippings broke down quickly - no thatch.

I used to try to cut early evening and water the lawn a little just after cutting

Mike

vexxxboy

4235 posts

Uber Geek

#1849261 20-Aug-2017 15:59

if you have a proper mulching mower then you cant cut it to low, the mower wont let you. Which is why you have to mow it a lot more than normal if you want to keep it looking nice. They are expensive , $1400 i paid for mine and it was the only one i could find that was just a mulcher , no catcher on it.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

rb99

3401 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1849263 20-Aug-2017 16:03

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Had a super quick look round at prices for mulching mowers and the financial controller would have a fit if I spent maybe $600 to replace our existing working fine mower. Still, if i can polish off a few weeds and try cutting more often (but not too short) with a normal mower it may not be too bad.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

SepticSceptic

2158 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1849742 21-Aug-2017 11:44

k1w1k1d:

I think another problem is cutting the lawn too low. If the lawn is allowed to grow a bit longer it can compete with the weeds and moss etc.

I'm always amazed at how low people cut lawns. Too short, and they freeze and die in the winter, and dry out in the summer. And then spend $$ on watering, and most of it runs off as the ground is so compacted.

tdgeek

29587 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1849750 21-Aug-2017 11:57

Re thatch, I was lead to believe, and read that loose grass isnt thatch. Thatch is dead grass that isnt decomposing as its still rooted in. Common causes are too much insecticide so there are less micro organisms in the soil, too much N (I think) which makes grass grow too fast, and is weak.

I mow my lawn with no catcher, anti clockwise so I can mow over the clippings on next lap, but the lawn has to be mowed regularly enough to do that, so there isn't huge lumps of clippings

tdgeek

29587 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1849875 21-Aug-2017 15:32

vexxxboy:

if you have a proper mulching mower then you cant cut it to low, the mower wont let you. Which is why you have to mow it a lot more than normal if you want to keep it looking nice. They are expensive , $1400 i paid for mine and it was the only one i could find that was just a mulcher , no catcher on it.

Why wont the mower allow you to mow low and mulch? Low is subjective, I'm not talking bowling green, maybe 1" being low and 2" being good too?

Being a $1400 mower owner, what are top brands and dealers? There seems to be so many models but often the standard brands

I'm looking to upgrade to a long term top mower

tdgeek

29587 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1849877 21-Aug-2017 15:33

SepticSceptic:

k1w1k1d:

I think another problem is cutting the lawn too low. If the lawn is allowed to grow a bit longer it can compete with the weeds and moss etc.

I'm always amazed at how low people cut lawns. Too short, and they freeze and die in the winter, and dry out in the summer. And then spend $$ on watering, and most of it runs off as the ground is so compacted.

I tend to mow low in winter so it can dry the soil a bit more and longer in summer to stop drying the soil as much

SepticSceptic

2158 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1849912 21-Aug-2017 16:57

tdgeek:

SepticSceptic:

k1w1k1d:

I think another problem is cutting the lawn too low. If the lawn is allowed to grow a bit longer it can compete with the weeds and moss etc.

I'm always amazed at how low people cut lawns. Too short, and they freeze and die in the winter, and dry out in the summer. And then spend $$ on watering, and most of it runs off as the ground is so compacted.

I tend to mow low in winter so it can dry the soil a bit more and longer in summer to stop drying the soil as much

I guess it would depend on where in the country you are - central NZ and SI, where there are hard frosts the height may need to vary a bit. Also depends on how hardy your grass is.

My ex BIL in QLD, OZ, would always mow his grass really short, every weekend. Looked great in winter, but dried out in summer, and he'd pour gallons of water to try and keep it green.

Meanwhile, weeds and bindii (onehunga prickle grass) would take hold in the dead bits, and then he'd apply chemicals to get rid of them.

He just couldn't see that mowing the grass so short would dry out the surface - grass needs a good couple of inches to maintain the micro-climate, especially in summer.

vexxxboy

4235 posts

Uber Geek

#1849940 21-Aug-2017 17:47

tdgeek:

vexxxboy:

if you have a proper mulching mower then you cant cut it to low, the mower wont let you. Which is why you have to mow it a lot more than normal if you want to keep it looking nice. They are expensive , $1400 i paid for mine and it was the only one i could find that was just a mulcher , no catcher on it.

Why wont the mower allow you to mow low and mulch? Low is subjective, I'm not talking bowling green, maybe 1" being low and 2" being good too?

Being a $1400 mower owner, what are top brands and dealers? There seems to be so many models but often the standard brands

I'm looking to upgrade to a long term top mower

there is only one for sale in NZ and Husqvarna makes it. as you can see it is designed to work as a mulcher . Massport and victor used to make them but have stopped. The ones that work with a plug tend to vlog and you notice the clippings on the lawn . The Husqvarna mulches the grass into a fine mist that you dont notice on the lawn.

http://www.husqvarna.com/nz/products/lawn-mowers/lb-548s-e/967256901/

Common sense is not as common as you think.

tdgeek

29587 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1849951 21-Aug-2017 18:06

vexxxboy:

tdgeek:

vexxxboy:

if you have a proper mulching mower then you cant cut it to low, the mower wont let you. Which is why you have to mow it a lot more than normal if you want to keep it looking nice. They are expensive , $1400 i paid for mine and it was the only one i could find that was just a mulcher , no catcher on it.

Why wont the mower allow you to mow low and mulch? Low is subjective, I'm not talking bowling green, maybe 1" being low and 2" being good too?

Being a $1400 mower owner, what are top brands and dealers? There seems to be so many models but often the standard brands

I'm looking to upgrade to a long term top mower

there is only one for sale in NZ and Husqvarna makes it. as you can see it is designed to work as a mulcher . Massport and victor used to make them but have stopped. The ones that work with a plug tend to vlog and you notice the clippings on the lawn . The Husqvarna mulches the grass into a fine mist that you dont notice on the lawn.

http://www.husqvarna.com/nz/products/lawn-mowers/lb-548s-e/967256901/

Thanks, its looks the one for me.

Seems a shame to put fertiliser into a green bin, then hop in the car to buy fertiliser!

PhantomNVD

2619 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1850077 22-Aug-2017 00:00

I have two calves who mow my 2 acres, and a normal ride-on to mow the 1/3acre we separated as ‘front lawn’ which I rake up in winter and chick over the fence to keep the other ‘lawn mowers’ in good shape for summer, but in summer I do as an above poster mentioned and ‘double mow’ the clippings by going over them again in the second loop... in my case this gets too thick if I leave mowing more than 1 week in the height of summer 🤔

I have been advised that grass eaten/mown too low will not grow back as quickly, so try to mow as low as possible in summer to slow the growth, especially as NZ almost never has a truely dry summer, and I’m at the bottom of a small hill with all the water draining onto my land anyway 🙄

1 | 2