"GaryM" wrote in message
. 3.44...
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in
news:yFLnc.19339$xw3.1297174@attbi_s04:

Get a mulching mower. Field studies conducted by the Center of
Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington have determined
that the regular use of a mulching lawn mower will reduce if not
eliminate the need for supplemental fertilizing, as well as keep
your lawn healthy, reduce thatch build up and supress weeds.

On this point I was wondering when the humid weather arrives here in
the Northeast should one still leave the clippings on the lawn? The
clippings are rich in nitrogen, I believe, which may then in turn
promotes diseases such as brown patch.

Just wondering.

Depends on whether the clippings have been mulched or not. Regular mower
clippings are too large and will simply mat and smother the lawn. Mulched
clippings are very finely chopped up - they will work their way down to the
soil level and decompose, providing necessary nutrients. Don't worry about
the amount of nitrogen - that's one of the big advantages of mulch mowing -
the nitrogen content of the mulched clippings is enough to encourage healthy
lawns but not so much as to encourage rampant growth, like chemical
fertilizers. It is the rampant, lush growth that promotes disease, not the
nitrogen itself.

This may provide more detailed information:
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/turf/430-402/430-402.html

pam - gardengal