Should Grass Clippings been left on the lawn?

Grass Clippings good for lawns?

Summer is almost here for Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley region; grass is getting longer, and we are getting many emails asking about lawn care. The most frequent question is “can I leave the grass clippings on the lawn?” the answer here can be tricky, but we will make it simple and easy to read and understand here.

Lawn clippings are good for lawns because like fall leaves, they can turn into natural compost and become fertilizer to supply many necessary nutrition. The concept is perfectly making sense but in most of our experience, this method may not apply to most of the homeowners in lower mainland BC.

1. Maintaining lawn mower to an ideal working condition can be time consuming and expensive, most of the lawn mowers we see are not maintained properly. The problem is that bad lawn mowers are more likely to cause damages to the grass that can cause diseases and other problems to the grass. In this case, its better to keep removing grass clippings so the issues don’t pass alone and effect the whole area.

2. Most of the homeowners` lawn have some percentage of weeds growing together. Those weeds are working very hard to gain their own territory on the lawn and some of them do produce seeds. In the case, lawn mower that is on mulching setting or with the clipping bag off, can help spread the weed seeds on your lawn. So, it’s more practical to always take the grass clippings with your lawn mower.

3. Lawn mower can also help sucking up smaller dead branches, dust and other unwanted objects on your lawn, so it is better to use the lawn mower to take the clipping away while cleaning the lawn.