(Prithviraj Dasgupta) wrote:

I moved into a new home in Omaha, NE last month. The home
came with a fair-sized lawn, approx 10,000 sq ft. The
grass (Kentucky blue) was not mowed for about 10 days when
we moved in. One of my neighbors advised me to mulch the
grass while I was mowing the first few times. I did that
twice over the last two weeks. But since then patches of mulched
grass are scattered all over the lawn, making it look
quite unattractive. It has been raining regularly over
the last few weeks and the grass is quite green otherwise.
How do I remove those grass clippings? Is hand picking an
option or should I use the blower/vac? Any advice would be
greatly appreciated.

The clippings will eventually work their way down and compost naturally
adding rich humus to your soil. To prevent them from causing dead areas
in the grass, mow often so the clippings get moved around. A good mower
will spread the clippings uniformly so they don't cause an unsightly
problem. I just mowed areas of my lawn that had not been mowed for 7
weeks (we were on vacation). These areas look unsightly now but will
look OK in a couple weeks. The clippings work their way down.

Penn State has good advice for lawn care at:
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deput...an_Do/lawn.htm

Here is what they say:
"Unless grass clippings are excessive, they do not have to be routinely
removed from most lawns. Allowing them to decompose recycles plant
nutrients and reduces the solid waste disposal problem and the time and
effort required for mowing."

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