In summer, during the growth phase, the lawn grows quickly and usually needs to be mowed at least once a week. This creates a lot of lawn clippings that you can use sensibly and should never put in the organic bin, because it is ideal as a fertilizer. The following article explains what options there are to make sensible use of the cut.
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Lawn cutting valuable fertilizer
The weekly lawn clippings can be a valuable fertilizer that shouldn’t be thrown away so easily. Because many nutrients are released from the fine blades of grass that can replace a chemical fertilizer from the trade if the clippings are used correctly. This promotes soil life and prevents weeds from growing, because grass is a good supplier of nitrogen. It is important, however, with the lawn clippings that are used, that there are no grasses that carry seeds. Otherwise, they could germinate elsewhere in the garden and spread, for example, in a vegetable patch. There are the following ways to make sensible use of a lawn cut:
- Mulching the lawn
- Mulching the garden bed
- Composting
- Filling material in raised bed
- Make manure
Mulching the lawn
The area with the resulting cut can be mulched directly while the lawn is being mowed. Especially in summer, when the lawn is mowed regularly once a week, the stalks are still quite short and therefore decompose quickly and do not form a compact, harmful layer on the lawn. For this reason, the first cut in spring should not be used to mulch the lawn, as the stalks are too long and usually too moist and therefore will not decompose quickly. When mowing and applying mulch at the same time, the following should therefore be observed:
- mow only on dry days
- use long, rough cut elsewhere
- compost
- alternatively dispose of in a bio bin
- only use short snippets for mulching
- usually occur over the summer months
- Use the lawnmower without a basket
- Grass clippings remain directly on the surface
- can decompose
- release a lot of nutrients
Mulching the garden bed
If the lawnmower is provided with a basket, the clippings can also be collected and distributed as a layer of mulch on a vegetable or flower bed and under a hedge. Here, too, the soil benefits from the nutrients that can then be reabsorbed by the plants via the roots. In order to achieve a good fertilization result, the following is important:
- Spread the grass clippings well
- must be able to dry on the bed
- Otherwise rot and mold will develop
- leave the dry layer on the bed
- prevents weeds and wild growth
Compost grass clippings
If the lawn is very large and you do not want to use the clippings as a mulch layer on the lawn and garden beds, you can compost it for a later fertilization process. However, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Never put grass clippings on the compost alone
- always mix with coarse material
- thin twigs, chopped branches, autumn leaves
- Mixing ratio one to one
- Fold in freshly mown grass well
- otherwise forms a compact layer
- then rots badly
- rot and mold develop
- In this way, compost cannot be used for fertilization
Filling material in a raised bed
If a new raised bed is to be created, a lot of soil is usually required for this. So that the purchase is kept within limits and also for a good fertilizer supply right from the start, it is recommended that a layer of compost be laid below the ground. The grass clippings that have been kept can also be used well here. When using it in a raised bed, you should therefore proceed as follows:
- mix with leaves and compost
- Spread as the last layer underground
- ideally directly above the drainage
- alternatively mix directly with earth
- then fill in everything together
- Mulch the bed after planting
- also use grass clippings for this
Make manure
If there is a lot of grass clippings in a year and composting is not possible, then it is still a shame to dispose of the valuable fertilizer, which contains a lot of nitrogen. Almost every hobby gardener is familiar with nettle manure, but you can also make manure yourself from clippings and thus a liquid fertilizer, for example for potted plants. The procedure is as follows:
- ten liters of water for one kilo of plant material
- this rule of thumb applies to all plants
- so also for grass clippings
- Let stand lightly covered for two weeks
- ideally in a warm place
- stir several times a day
- when fermentation has finished successfully, use
- to do this, strain
- mix with watering water
- Fertilize plants regularly
Flowering plants and shrubs in particular should only be supplied with the mixture in the first few weeks of their growth phase, as nitrogen promotes leaf formation and the growth of new shoots, but not flowering. For this you have to use another fertilizer for flowering plants after nitrogen fertilization by the lawn manure.
