• If you need or want to collect your grass
  clippings, recycle them as a mulch in the
  garden or in planting beds. Mulching
  reduces weed problems, modifies soil
  temperature,  and  retains  moisture.
  Mulch  also helps maintain good soil
  structure and minimizes erosion by pro-
  tecting the soil surface.

• However, avoid mulching  with grass
  that's been treated with  weedkillers.
  These could harm your desirable plants.
  Be particularly cautious when a long
  lasting herbicide  called dicamba
  (Banvel)  has been  used.  Chemically
  treated clippings should be left on the
  lawn or in your compost bin where her-
  bicides other than dicamba will break
  down in about 6 weeks. Do not compost
  clippings from lawns treated with
  dicamba. Leave them on the lawn.
Mowers
• Various types of mowers are available on
  the market and each has its own advan-
  tages and  disadvantages.  Rotary
  mowers are most commonly used and
  many can be operated with or without a
  bagging attachment. Bagging mowers
  may or may not require the bag to be at-
  tached. Kits are available that will convert
  some bagging mowers into mulching
  mowers.
• Mulching mowers,  a type of rotary
  mower, finely chop clippings allowing
  faster breakdown on your lawn. Push or
  reel mowers are quiet to operate, easy to
  maintain, and require no gasoline. They
  are a good choice for a small lawn.
• Regardless of mower type, the key to a
  quality cut is keeping the  mower blade
  sharp and  properly adjusted.  Dull
  mowers use more gasoline, give the lawn
  an undesirable frayed appearance, and
  can allow leaf diseases to get started.
  Mower blades require sharpening  at
  least every second mowing season for
  bluegrass lawns, and at least once per
  year for tall fescue or perennial ryegrass
  lawns.
• Avoid mowing when the grass is wet as
  this produces clumps that smother the
  lawn and clog the mower. Always be
  careful to keep hands and feet away from
  the cutting blades of any mower.
                                                                                                                          EHI m f\ • ^T •  i
This  information produced  through  a
cooperative effort between:

       Colorado State University
        Cooperative Extension

            United States
   Environmental Protection Agency,
            Region VIII,
          Denver, Colorado
              Authors

            Dr. Tony Koski
      Colorado State Cooperative
         Extension Specialist
      (Turfgrass), Fort Collins, CO

             Carl Wilson
      Colorado State Cooperative
           Extension Agent
       (Horticulture). Denver, CO
                                                                                                                        LAWN  MOWINC
                                                                                                                             ('Environmental Action Starts
                                                                                                                                    in your Yard)
                                                 9O8R83OO1
                                                                                                                        Leave grass clippings on the lawn t
                                                                                                                        improve yoiif grass save-time aru
                                                                                                                        protect the enviroomerrt

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Why quit bagging grass clippings?
Some questions and answers.
Mowing Facts
Q. Bagging is needed for a quality lawn,
    right?
A, No. A lot of people with great looking
    lawns mow and don't catch clippings. In
    fact, lawn researchers have proven that
    clippings  left on  lawns result  in a
    healthier lawn that is generally less pro-
    ne to disease. Clippings also contain
    organic fertilizer  nutrients that  are
    returned to the lawn if clippings are not
    picked up.

Q. But clippings cause thatch, don't they?
A. Grass clippings break down quickly and
    don't turn into  thatch. The  brown,
    spongy material that we call thatch
    starts with thick grass stems and roots.
    When these hardened grass parts die
    naturally, they break down slowly and
    can accumulate as a thatch layer. Your
    best  defense  against  thatch is to
    regularly core cultivate your lawn. Pro-
    viding air  to grass roots through core
    aeration,  and fertilizer nutrients by
    returning grass clippings, greatly con-
    tribute to growing a healthy lawn.
                                         Q. My lawn is healthy and I bag my clip-
                                             pings. Why shouldn't  I  continue
                                             bagging?
                                         A. If you compost your grass clippings and
                                             then use the compost in your garden,
                                             this is fine. However, putting grass clip-
                                             pings in the trash causes several pro-
                                             blems. Bags of grass clippings take up
                                             a whopping 25%* of the space in trash
                                             hauling trucks and a lot more room in
                                             landfills. Many landfills across the coun-
                                             try are rapidly running out of room. In
                                             addition to spending local tax money to
                                             haul and dump clippings, grass clip-
                                             pings cause more problems once they
                                             are in the landfill. They compact easily,
                                             which prevents aerobic composting. In-
                                             stead, breakdown without oxygen pro-
                                             duces explosive methane gas which is
                                             a hazard to landfill workers. Clippings
                                             left on the lawn will avoid all these prob-
                                             lems. Good lawns stay healthy when
                                             clippings are left on them and poor
                                             lawns get better!

                                         Q. I'm not sure that my lawn mower will
                                             operate without the bag. How can I tell?
                                         A. Consult the manual that came with your
                                             mower or ask your mower dealer. Some
                                             mowers can operate  safely  with or
                                             without the bag.  Others can be con-
                                             verted to no bag operation with a kit
                                             available from your dealer. See the back
                                             panel for more information on mowers.
                                         'An estimate for the grass growing months of June
                                         through Seotember
  Lawns are most healthy when mowed at
  21/2-to-3 inches, leaving the clippings on
  the  lawn.  Mowing heights  may  be
  lowered to 11/2 inches in the fall to avoid
  grass matting over the winter.
  Mow frequently so no more than 1/3 of
  the grass blade is removed. This may
  mean  mowing every 5 days instead of
  waiting a full week. Note that studies
  show it takes less overall time to mow
  more often  and leave clippings, than
  mowing weekly and bagging clippings. If
  grass does become excessively long in
  between mowings, bagging or raking to
  avoid surface matting of clippings on the
  lawn will be necessary.
  Apply most of your fertilizer in the fall —
  from late September to early November
  — but at least 2 to 3 weeks before the
  ground freezes and while the grass is still
  green. Late season fertilization favors
  root and not top growth,  provides a
  greener fall and winter lawn, and allows
  your lawn  to green  up earlier in the
  spring. Fertilizing in the fall avoids a lot of
  the mowing chores brought on by spring
  fertilization while still giving you the same
  benefits. Even a moderate application of
  fertilizer in the  spring means more fre-
  quent mowing — up to twice per week —
  and can produce a weak, poorly rooted
  turf. Use only light amounts of fertilizer in
  the  spring and summer; or  better yet,
  consider the use of a slow release fer-
  tilizer that gradually  makes nutrients
  available to the grass.
  Treat your lawn with pesticides, par-
  ticularly fungicides, only when neces-
  sary. Use of many common  pesticides
  kills beneficial  earthworms and micro-
  organisms that break down clippings
  and digest the dead stems and roots that
  cause thatch.
  In addition to proper mowing, regular
  watering, fertilizing, and core aerating
  are  key to growing a quality lawn.  For
  more information  on  lawns, ask your
  Colorado State University Cooperative
  Extension office for the fact sheet titled
  "Lawn Care."
   Grass Clippings Belong on the Lawn Because:
   • Nitrogen  and other nutrients in the
    clippings are recycled into the lawn,
    reducing fertilizer bills and the poten-
    tial for  nitrogen  surface  water
    contamination.
   • Clippings breakdown quickly and en-
    courage beneficial earthworms and
    microorganisms that maintain healthy
    grass and healthy soil.
• Clippings on the lawn mean no bagging
  and hauling, and more time to enjoy the
  lawn  and  pursue other recreational
  activities.       .  '.'
• Eliminating plastic bags of grass clip-
  pings means 25% less trash for City
  workers to haul, which is a cost savings.
• Cutting  25%  of the  trash volume
  preserves landfill space.

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