To Bag or Not to Bag Grass Clippings – Plant City

  In the old days bagging the clippings was the thing to do in Plant City. Times have changed and now it is not a good thing to do. Studies have shown that if lawn clippings are left on the grass after it is mowed, nitrogen and carbon, two nutrients important to plants, increase within the soil. This also reduces the amount of fertilizer a landscape needs and reduces the emission on greenhouse gases from the landscape, which improves the environment and helps to make Plant city a Better place to live.

Grass landscapes, such as that on Plant City lawns, parks and golf courses, produce a large amount of clippings every year. But clippings are often removed when turf grass is mowed, and clippings contain a major amount of nitrogen that can be reused by the landscape.

 In fact, leaving clippings on Plant City landscapes and reducing typical nitrogen fertilizer applications actually improves air and soil quality.

 When clippings are left on the landscapes as an annual practice, 25 percent less nitrogen fertilizer can be applied between the first 10 years on established turf, 33 percent between 11 and 25 years, 50 percent between 25 and 50 years, and 60 percent after 50 years. The turfgrass is not harmed by the lower amounts of fertilizer because the nitrogen from the clippings becomes available. This reduction in fertilizer also reduces the leaching of nitrates into drinking water and the emission of gaseous nitrogen into the atmosphere. Returning the clippings to the landscape for 10 to 50 years also increases the amount of carbon stored in the soil by 11 percent to 25 percent when it is fertilized with a high amount of nitrogen, about 150 kilograms a year.

 Reducing nitrogen applications to 75 kilograms a year and leaving the clippings on the landscape increased carbon storage in the soil by p to 59 percent after the turf was established. Carbon dioxide emission is reduced by about 1 ton per acre per year when clippings are left on landscapes, considering the combined impacts of clipping management on soil carbon and fertilization requirements.

 One thing to keep in mind, the clippings can not be piled up. All material needs to be spread evenly over to turf. This pile up could cause a thatch buildup which could in turm cause a fungus problem. One problem usually causes another problem.

 So the next time you hook the bag on the mower to catch the grass clippings consider leaving it off for mother nature and by doing so you will improving the health of your Plant City lawn.

 The Landscape Doctor – Plant City lawn Maintenance-July 1, 2011