Mulching around flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and trees, in general, helps to prevent weeds, conserve moisture, and moderate soil temperatures. Remember, however, that they will benefit even more from heat-retaining mulch, such as black plastic. Other heat-loving vegetables, such as peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and melons, will also benefit from clippings. If you have cool-weather crops, using these clippings as mulch would greatly benefit them. ![]() Grass clippings, like hay or straw, smother weeds, retain moisture, and decompose over time, feeding the soil. Grass clippings are a wonderful organic mulch for vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, and kitchen gardens. Raised Beds, Vegetable Gardens, and Flowerbeds On top of that, you don’t have to spend additional time bagging it to remove them from your property. When you recycle your clippings by using them as mulch, you add nitrogen back to the soil, enhance its porosity, and lower evaporation. Grass clippings are abundant in nitrogen, a macronutrient that all plants require to grow and thrive. The advantages of using fresh grass clippings as mulch include chilling the root zone, retaining moisture, and replenishing up to 25% of the nutrients that plants deplete from the soil. A well-kept lawn offers most homeowners a sense of pride, but it also generates a lot of yard waste.Ĭan these cuttings be used as mulch? Today, I’ll dive deep into this subject. I’m willing to share mine.If your yard is anything like mine, you’re well aware of how quickly grass clippings can collect. Undoubtedly you’ve heard that “you learn from your mistakes.” Feel free to share, providing a little detail, your greatest gardening and landscape bloopers. His garden is full sun, southern exposure. He is a big proponent of his “bucket with holes, filled with compost” method of watering. Curran in Hampton wrote that his Roma and Juliet tomatoes are producing big crops so much that his cages are toppling over - a first. ![]() This year the problem is rabbits - they are eating his marigolds! I’ll just note that I’ve seen more rabbits this year than ever. The last one he saw in his garden was about 40 years ago - none since he started planting marigolds around the plants. Buckwalter in Suffolk wrote to offer his advice on hornworms. She is waiting on Early Girl and Better Bush to ripen. Villers in Virginia Beach sent a pic of her Super Sweet 100 tomato harvest in mid-July. I don’t use any chemicals, pesticide or fertilizer, nor do I water the yard. Nevertheless, it does contribute some, and best of all, it is free.Īfter years of using a reel mower for my small front yard, I recently purchased a Greenworks 40V with a mulching and bagging option. ![]() So, compared with a commercial organic fertilizer such as Organic Garden-tone fertilizer (3-4-4), it is fairly low in nutrients. It is a mix of organic and ammonium nitrogen, fast and slow forms. At best, this would amount to a 2-1-2 fertilizer. What about grass clippings as fertilizer? According to Washington State University agronomists, grass clippings may average 1% to 2% nitrogen, 0.03% to 0.06% phosphorus, 1.3% to 2.3% potassium and some trace elements. Don’t use the clippings if your lawn has been recently treated with herbicides. ![]() It is probably a good rule not to apply more than 1 inch total - don’t smother your plants. The key is to gradually add thin layers of the dry clippings. This isn’t healthy for the plants and can produce foul odors. It is best to use dry clippings because they resist the matting that can reduce moisture and oxygen getting into the soil. Grass clippings can be composted or used as mulch - with several caveats. What is your opinion of using grass clippings for mulch in the garden? I have access to abundant amounts, but hear conflicting opinions about whether this is a good practice.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |