Lawn cutting season is upon us once more and I've decided to treat myself to
a new mower. I'm looking for a 18-20 inch cut 4 wheeled rotary mower but
have come across "mulcher" mowers that seem too good to be true. I don't
mind cutting the grass but do object to waiting 30 mins in the queue at the
local tip to deposit 4 bin bags of clippings.

So the question is do mulchers deliver what they claim? ie the ability to
cut the grass without contributing to the landfill problem, or do they just
leave a finer cut layer of grass clippings on the lawn?

Thanks,
Iain

PS: if they do work, some recommendations on the best performing units would
be appreciated.

Why not turn the clippings into compost that the ecologic way
mulcher mowers eventually build up a load of thatch in the grass so then you
need to scarify and you have another load of stuff to deal with

"Iain McWilliams" wrote in message
...

Lawn cutting season is upon us once more and I've decided to treat myself
to
a new mower. I'm looking for a 18-20 inch cut 4 wheeled rotary mower but
have come across "mulcher" mowers that seem too good to be true. I don't
mind cutting the grass but do object to waiting 30 mins in the queue at
the
local tip to deposit 4 bin bags of clippings.

So the question is do mulchers deliver what they claim? ie the ability to
cut the grass without contributing to the landfill problem, or do they
just
leave a finer cut layer of grass clippings on the lawn?

Thanks,
Iain

PS: if they do work, some recommendations on the best performing units
would
be appreciated.

Iain McWilliams wrote:
Lawn cutting season is upon us once more and I've decided to treat
myself to a new mower. I'm looking for a 18-20 inch cut 4 wheeled
rotary mower but have come across "mulcher" mowers that seem too
good to be true. I don't mind cutting the grass but do object to
waiting 30 mins in the queue at the local tip to deposit 4 bin bags
of clippings.

So the question is do mulchers deliver what they claim? ie the
ability to cut the grass without contributing to the landfill
problem, or do they just leave a finer cut layer of grass clippings
on the lawn?


Oh yes! But, .........
They can't work miracles. If the grass is long, then you will end up
with cut grass lying on the surface. Given the time and the
inclination, ;-) a second cut will reduce this.
The principle relies on clippings flying around in the cutting tray
and getting chopped more than once. If you don't clean out the cutting
tray after use, it becomes clogged solid with the fine mulch which can
dry to concrete - thus reducing the space for clippings to fly around.
ie no mulching!
Provided you can get into the regular cutting habit they certainly do
the job. I have something approaching half an acre of grass and the
thought of trying to dispose of all those clippings drove me to a
mulching mower. I have not been disappointed.
Mine is a Bolen ride-on mulching mower powered by a Briggs & Stratton
motor. 'Had it seven years. No trouble. Wouldn't be without it.

--
ned

....... isn't it a shame that common sense
is not all that common.

"bnd777" wrote in message
...
Why not turn the clippings into compost that the ecologic way
mulcher mowers eventually build up a load of thatch in the grass so then
you
need to scarify and you have another load of stuff to deal with

I tried that once but either the the compost bin I bought was too small, or
I'm creating far too much clippings (approx 4 bin bags every two weeks).

So should I assume that mulchers don't really work?

Thanks,
Iain

Well we produce loads more grass cuttings than that and have compost bins
made out of pallettes put together
with all the other cuttings from the garden plus shredded prunings and horse
muck if i can get it i make loads of super compost
The secret is to mix all the stuff well and then turn it from one bin into
another a couple of times plus a bucket or 2 of urine soon gets it going


"Iain McWilliams" wrote in message
...

"bnd777" wrote in message
...
Why not turn the clippings into compost that the ecologic way
mulcher mowers eventually build up a load of thatch in the grass so then
you
need to scarify and you have another load of stuff to deal with

I tried that once but either the the compost bin I bought was too small,
or
I'm creating far too much clippings (approx 4 bin bags every two weeks).

So should I assume that mulchers don't really work?

Thanks,
Iain

bnd777 wrote:
Why not turn the clippings into compost that the ecologic way
mulcher mowers eventually build up a load of thatch in the grass so
then you need to scarify and you have another load of stuff to deal
with

Sorry to disagree, but I don't have a thatch problem. Not after seven
years of mowing.

--
ned

....... isn't it a shame that common sense
is not all that common.

bnd777 wrote:
Well we produce loads more grass cuttings than that and have
compost bins made out of pallettes put together
with all the other cuttings from the garden plus shredded prunings
and horse muck if i can get it i make loads of super compost
The secret is to mix all the stuff well and then turn it from one
bin into another a couple of times plus a bucket or 2 of urine soon
gets it going


:-)
I'll stick to mulching.

--
ned

....... isn't it a shame that common sense
is not all that common.

Thanks for the responses, I've decided to give it a go so have ordered a
Toro Recycler.

Iain

On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 22:10:41 -0000, "Iain McWilliams"
wrote:

Thanks for the responses, I've decided to give it a go so have ordered a
Toro Recycler.

Iain

We've got a Robomow that triple cuts the cuttings and it works a
treat. The first mow of the season resulted in a bit of mess, but
subsequent mows have, like last year, been fine. I don't know what
thatching is, but we don't seem to have a problem with anything on our
lawn except the occasional weed, a bit of moss (it's very heavy clay
round here) and the damage inflicted by the kids.


"The only time you don't fail is the last time you try anything -- and it
works."

- William Strong

subbykins{Chrd}


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