I used to use a bagging blade for mulching. Obviously, it doesn't work
that well for mulching -- the grass clippings are just too long.

Recently, I replace the bagging blade with a mulching blade. But the
grass clippings are still too long. Moreover, they stick together and
leave long tracks of grass clippings that go in the same direction as
the mowing. I am wondering what I should do to improve the situation:

- Is this OK to leave the grass clippings on the lawn despite the
fact that this doesn't look that good? I am wondering if the grass
clippings may smear down on the grass and damage the grass.

- I notice that the cutting edge of the mulching blade is just as
short as the cutting edge of the bagging blade (around 3 inches). I am
under the impression that a mulching blade is supposed to have a
longer cutting edge. The only difference between the bagging blade and
the mulching blade is that the mulching blade as a hump between the
cutting edge and the center of the blade. Am I getting the wrong
blade? By the way my lawn mower is from John Deere, and the mulching
blade is the one recommended by the manufacturer for mulching. I am
not saying there is anything wrong with the mulching blade. I am just
trying to see if there is anyone know anything about this type of
mulching blade.

- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week. If this is the case, I
will have to bag the grass clipping in this time of the year (I will
put the grass clippings into my compost piles), and I will continue
mulching in summer and fall.

- The weather is kind of wet around here in this time of the year.
Although I have waited for a dry day to mow the lawn, the grass
clippings are still kind of wet. Does the fact that the grass is kind
of wet prevents the mulching blade from doing its job? Does the fact
that the grass is kind of wet prevents the grass clippings from
dropping onto the soil instead of laying on top of the grass? If this
is the case, I may have to bag the grass clippings instead of leaving
them on the lawn when the grass is wet.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Can't recall where I read this, but my understanding is that a true mulching
mower needs its housing shaped a certain way to redirect the clippings back
through the blade. The blade alone doesn't make a mower into a mulching
machine. Is your mower designed for that purpose?

Here in the north-central Midwest, mowing once a week is not nearly often
enough. We're mowing every 4 days or so -- sometimes even then we leave a
few rows. Our weather has been wet, too, but we don't have any problems
with the mulcher even in the wettest grass. The length of grass that you
are removing is the key, I suspect.

I think you should mow more often. Keep the grass between 2 3/4 and 3 inches
in length. You shouldn't be removing too large a portion of the blade of
grass when you mow -- if you take off more than 1/3, then that's supposed to
be bad for your grass. If you absolutely can't mow more often, then try
raising the mower so you get a 3-in length of grass blade and bagging the
clippings.

The rows of clippings can kill the grass underneath, but they need to be
pretty thick for that to happen.

--
-- pelirojaroja
"Jay Chan" wrote in message
m...
I used to use a bagging blade for mulching. Obviously, it doesn't work
that well for mulching -- the grass clippings are just too long.

Recently, I replace the bagging blade with a mulching blade. But the
grass clippings are still too long. Moreover, they stick together and
leave long tracks of grass clippings that go in the same direction as
the mowing. I am wondering what I should do to improve the situation:

- Is this OK to leave the grass clippings on the lawn despite the
fact that this doesn't look that good? I am wondering if the grass
clippings may smear down on the grass and damage the grass.

- I notice that the cutting edge of the mulching blade is just as
short as the cutting edge of the bagging blade (around 3 inches). I am
under the impression that a mulching blade is supposed to have a
longer cutting edge. The only difference between the bagging blade and
the mulching blade is that the mulching blade as a hump between the
cutting edge and the center of the blade. Am I getting the wrong
blade? By the way my lawn mower is from John Deere, and the mulching
blade is the one recommended by the manufacturer for mulching. I am
not saying there is anything wrong with the mulching blade. I am just
trying to see if there is anyone know anything about this type of
mulching blade.

- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week. If this is the case, I
will have to bag the grass clipping in this time of the year (I will
put the grass clippings into my compost piles), and I will continue
mulching in summer and fall.

- The weather is kind of wet around here in this time of the year.
Although I have waited for a dry day to mow the lawn, the grass
clippings are still kind of wet. Does the fact that the grass is kind
of wet prevents the mulching blade from doing its job? Does the fact
that the grass is kind of wet prevents the grass clippings from
dropping onto the soil instead of laying on top of the grass? If this
is the case, I may have to bag the grass clippings instead of leaving
them on the lawn when the grass is wet.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

A mulching mower/blade requires that you mow more frequently to work
properly.


"Jay Chan" wrote in message
m...
I used to use a bagging blade for mulching. Obviously, it doesn't work
that well for mulching -- the grass clippings are just too long.

Recently, I replace the bagging blade with a mulching blade. But the
grass clippings are still too long. Moreover, they stick together and
leave long tracks of grass clippings that go in the same direction as
the mowing. I am wondering what I should do to improve the situation:

- Is this OK to leave the grass clippings on the lawn despite the
fact that this doesn't look that good? I am wondering if the grass
clippings may smear down on the grass and damage the grass.

- I notice that the cutting edge of the mulching blade is just as
short as the cutting edge of the bagging blade (around 3 inches). I am
under the impression that a mulching blade is supposed to have a
longer cutting edge. The only difference between the bagging blade and
the mulching blade is that the mulching blade as a hump between the
cutting edge and the center of the blade. Am I getting the wrong
blade? By the way my lawn mower is from John Deere, and the mulching
blade is the one recommended by the manufacturer for mulching. I am
not saying there is anything wrong with the mulching blade. I am just
trying to see if there is anyone know anything about this type of
mulching blade.

- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week. If this is the case, I
will have to bag the grass clipping in this time of the year (I will
put the grass clippings into my compost piles), and I will continue
mulching in summer and fall.

- The weather is kind of wet around here in this time of the year.
Although I have waited for a dry day to mow the lawn, the grass
clippings are still kind of wet. Does the fact that the grass is kind
of wet prevents the mulching blade from doing its job? Does the fact
that the grass is kind of wet prevents the grass clippings from
dropping onto the soil instead of laying on top of the grass? If this
is the case, I may have to bag the grass clippings instead of leaving
them on the lawn when the grass is wet.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Jay Chan wrote:
I used to use a bagging blade for mulching. Obviously, it doesn't work
that well for mulching -- the grass clippings are just too long.

Recently, I replace the bagging blade with a mulching blade. But the
grass clippings are still too long. Moreover, they stick together and
leave long tracks of grass clippings that go in the same direction as
the mowing. I am wondering what I should do to improve the situation:

- Is this OK to leave the grass clippings on the lawn despite the
fact that this doesn't look that good? I am wondering if the grass
clippings may smear down on the grass and damage the grass.

I'm guessing that you're not mowing often enough. You don't need a
"mulching mower" or even a "mulching blade" to mulch if you're mowing
often enough. If the volume of clippings is so much that you're afraid
it may "smear" down, you're probably cutting off too much, and you might
be cutting too short.

Even using a mower that isn't called a "mulching" mower to cut 3" grass
down to a tad over 2" your clippings will mostly fall into the turf
rather than sit on top of it -- or at least not in quanities that you'd
be afraid may "smear".



- I notice that the cutting edge of the mulching blade is just as
short as the cutting edge of the bagging blade (around 3 inches). I am
under the impression that a mulching blade is supposed to have a
longer cutting edge. The only difference between the bagging blade and
the mulching blade is that the mulching blade as a hump between the
cutting edge and the center of the blade. Am I getting the wrong
blade? By the way my lawn mower is from John Deere, and the mulching
blade is the one recommended by the manufacturer for mulching. I am
not saying there is anything wrong with the mulching blade. I am just
trying to see if there is anyone know anything about this type of
mulching blade.

Not being an aerodynamic engineer, I would imagine that the hump is
intended to lift the clippings higher so they'll drop down in front of
the next blade going by instead of just falling over the back edge of
the blade.


- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week. If this is the case, I
will have to bag the grass clipping in this time of the year (I will
put the grass clippings into my compost piles), and I will continue
mulching in summer and fall.

If you're cutting off more than 1/3 of the blades, you're not mowing
enough whether you're mulching or bagging. Going back to bagging doesn't
resolve the problem at all.


- The weather is kind of wet around here in this time of the year.
Although I have waited for a dry day to mow the lawn, the grass
clippings are still kind of wet. Does the fact that the grass is kind
of wet prevents the mulching blade from doing its job? Does the fact
that the grass is kind of wet prevents the grass clippings from
dropping onto the soil instead of laying on top of the grass? If this
is the case, I may have to bag the grass clippings instead of leaving
them on the lawn when the grass is wet.

Healthy grass is going to have some moisture even if you wait a day
after rain. On a day without rain if you wait until afternoon, you'll
probably be waiting long enough.

Yes, when the grass is wet, it clumps more. It also clumps more when
it's being scalped by a dull blade. This may be a stupid question, but
are you sure you put the blade on the right way? Are you cutting with
the cutting edge, or scalping with the back edge of the blade?

If circumstances are such that you get to the day you really have to
mow, it's been raining, and the next day isn't going to be dry, you
might consider bagging. But I find that when I'm in that situation, I
still mulch, but as I get to the end of each row, I lift the front edge
of the mower a little, and let it bounce down to knock loose any clumps.
(Obviously I have a push mower, not a tractor.) Then my clumps are all
in one general area, and I only pick those clumps up.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

"Jay Chan" wrote in message
m...

- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week.


Most of the time, Once a week is good. But, what you might want to do, is
hit it once in mid week to solve the problem of the grass being to long. A
good healthy cut will solve a lot of problems.


- The weather is kind of wet around here in this time of the year.
Although I have waited for a dry day to mow the lawn, the grass
clippings are still kind of wet. Does the fact that the grass is kind
of wet prevents the mulching blade from doing its job? Does the fact
that the grass is kind of wet prevents the grass clippings from
dropping onto the soil instead of laying on top of the grass? If this
is the case, I may have to bag the grass clippings instead of leaving
them on the lawn when the grass is wet.

When you mulch, you need the grass as dry as possible. If its not, no
biggy....but, this is I bet three quarters of your problem....wet grass.
Will cause clumping, grass to lay down, etc....almost all the problems that
you mentioned. To solve....cut slower......or, cut in differant directions
next time. When this happens to me (grass laying down), I buzz with the
rider going at high speed later in the day....

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:233127


Most of the time, Once a week is good.

would someone PLEASE tell my neighbor this?
EVERYDAY and i mean EVERYDAY ,he is out on his damn riding mower!
i would LOVE to sabotage the damn thing!
i pray for a rainy day!
(at least its quiet)

rosie

Can't recall where I read this, but my understanding is that a true mulching
mower needs its housing shaped a certain way to redirect the clippings back
through the blade. The blade alone doesn't make a mower into a mulching
machine. Is your mower designed for that purpose?

Very likely not. My lawn mower is for bagging that has an option to
install a mulching blade. I guess this means I cannot totally expect
my lawn mower to mulch effectively. Oh well...

Thanks anyway.

Jay Chan

Seem like the common suggestion from most newsgroup members is to mow
more often when the grass is growing fast. Otherwise, I will see rows
of grass clippings on the lawn. Thanks for the suggestion.

Unfortunately, this is hard to implement because I really don't have
time to mow that often.

I could have bagged the grass clippings and don't mulch at all when
the grass is growing fast as what I had planned in my original
message. But then I realize that there will be too much grass
clippings for my compost piles (there is not enough brown stuff in my
compost pipe). And I don't really want to give away the grass
clippings (by leaving them in the trash bin).

I think I will leave the grass to stay long. Hopefully, if they are
long, they will slow down their grow rate. Then, I can continue
mulching. Will this plan work?

Jay Chan

"Jay Chan" wrote in message
om...
I think I will leave the grass to stay long. Hopefully, if they are
long, they will slow down their grow rate. Then, I can continue
mulching. Will this plan work?

Jay Chan

A friend once told me this.
Lawns. As you think about them....the work in them goes up exponentially.
Hopefully, that helps.

Storm

- This is late spring / early summer here. Grass is growing fast. I
mow my lawn every week. Do I mow not often enough? I hope not because
I don't have time to mow more than once a week. If this is the case, I
will have to bag the grass clipping in this time of the year (I will
put the grass clippings into my compost piles), and I will continue
mulching in summer and fall.

snip

Jay Chan

How tall is the grass and how short are you trying to make it????? We cut to no
less then 3 inches and only take an inch or two so off at a time, which to my
understanding is technically too much... We have always used a mulching blade
and love it. I have a wildlife garden so I do tend to let the back grow much
longer then the front, I mow the front once or twice a week but the back is
done only once every 10-14 days... We have an area close to the house that gets
done the twice a week cycle like the front. Even in the back it's more like 4
inches and we still take the 1-2 inches off, maybe a little more.... the back
is really nice, thick, green and almost weed free. In short, doing it that way
my house looks nice and neat but I'm not breaking my back, and I make the
wildlife happier.
Colleen
zone 5 Connecticut

would someone PLEASE tell my neighbor this?
EVERYDAY and i mean EVERYDAY ,he is out on his damn riding mower!
i would LOVE to sabotage the damn thing!
i pray for a rainy day!
(at least its quiet)

rosie





I'm so bad..... I started doing my front yard the twice a week deal because I
realized that if I mowed my yard one of my neighbors would come home from work
and mow his whole lawn. I didn't like him very much so I would mow the front so
when he came home he'd mow the whole lawn. It got so bad like a juvenile
delinquent I would call my husband at work giggling that I was going to make
Mr. Neighbor mow his lawn.... I never did it on the weekend... Sure enough, it
never failed, I ran the poor guy ragged, they moved about 3 years back lol. He
shot a dumb cat we had hanging around with a pellet gun and he thought that was
funny (we had the pellet removed)... another couple of off color comments at a
party and here at my house solidified why I didn't like him.
Colleen
zone 5 Connecticut

It's anywhere I'll ever go,
And everywhere I've been;
Nothing takes my breath away,
Like my front porch looking in. ~ Lonestar

Another suggestion is to go over the areas the opposite way if it is very long,
mulching the clippings further..... I don't think I ever make a single pass
over my lawn, I actually have the best lawn in the neighborhood ::uffing
chest proudly:::: Organic and done by a woman.
Colleen
zone 5 Connecticut.

In article ,
(GrampysGurl) wrote:

I started doing my front yard the twice a week deal because I
realized that if I mowed my yard one of my neighbors would come home from work
and mow his whole lawn.

Heh. You are not alone. I get a charge out of doing this, myself. Of
course, it would have more impact if our yards were bigger than postage
stamps, but even so...

Heh. You are not alone. I get a charge out of doing this, myself. Of
course, it would have more impact if our yards were bigger than postage
stamps, but even so...







same here, we only have a 1/3 an acre but it was fun while it lasted lol.I
swear I'll never grow up, 37 and and still a snot... DH shakes his head a lot.
Colleen
zone 5 Connecticut