Why does no one mulch anymore

thisonetaken

I’ve been reading up about mulching grass and it seems there are so many benefits to it, I’m wondering why do the majority of people still put their cuttings in the bin? What are the drawbacks of mulching? From what I can see there are only benefits:
It’s easier not having to constantly stop mowing and empty the grass into the bin
It’s quicker
It’s better for your soil
It’s better for the environment not having to have big diesel spewing trucks come to your house every other week to collect your grass cuttings

I’m currently looking for a cordless electric mower with a mulcher but it seems manufacturers aren’t even bothered about saying whether mowers have this feature or not, I normally have to read reviews on Amazon to find this out.

Harry Palmr

Dunno where you get this idea from. At home I never use a grass box though I know people will talk about treading grass into the kitchen or whatever. Answer there is simple - take your shoes off and more to the point have a pair of old walkabouts for the gardens and nothing else. At work same thing - grass always mulched on beds and paths for weed suppression

NIMAN

I mulched for several years when I had a ride-on. My grass was always greener when I did that!

When the weather permits I still mulch with my walk-behind, but majority of cuttings are still collected.

Roen

I mulched for the past couple of years. The robot does it now.

the_pen_turner

I know a few that mulch. Mostly due to laziness and not caring what it looks like.
I know one couple that mulch a big lawn but he is retired and has a big ride on. He does it every second day and the place is immaculate. .

Mulching can look terrible and be really messy
Most people with lovely gardens collect the grass most of the time

uck51js9zml2yt

Leaving the grass just gives the moss somewhere to grow.

I have a compost bin. Well more, 4 pallets screwed together.works well.

Harry Palmr

the_pen_turner wrote: »

I know a few that mulch. Mostly due to laziness and not caring what it looks like.
I know one couple that mulch a big lawn but he is retired and has a big ride on. He does it every second day and the place is immaculate. .

Mulching can look terrible and be really messy
Most people with lovely gardens collect the grass most of the time

Obviously there are different types of garden and what is defined as "lovely"

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Moss grows in shadow not under cuttings.

NIMAN

If mulching is leaving grass behind then the conditions aren't right to mulch, or you are taking off too much.

To mulch, grass has to be dry, and you have to cut a little off, but often.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Obviously there are different types of garden and what is defined as "lovely"

---

Moss grows in shadow not under cuttings.

Moss grows where moss grows. I have moss growing in the lawn in full sun. The idea that moss only grows in dark damp areas is not correct. It's a myth.

Roen

Check out the Ego Power range. They can mulch. Bring your spend though.

Lumen

My grass is cut once a fortnight. I don't think mulching would work with that infrequency of cutting.

Also, not sure you can mulch when grass is wet.

macraignil

thisonetaken wrote: »

I’ve been reading up about mulching grass and it seems there are so many benefits to it, I’m wondering why do the majority of people still put their cuttings in the bin? What are the drawbacks of mulching? From what I can see there are only benefits:
It’s easier not having to constantly stop mowing and empty the grass into the bin
It’s quicker
It’s better for your soil
It’s better for the environment not having to have big diesel spewing trucks come to your house every other week to collect your grass cuttings

I’m currently looking for a cordless electric mower with a mulcher but it seems manufacturers aren’t even bothered about saying whether mowers have this feature or not, I normally have to read reviews on Amazon to find this out.

Not sure you are right saying the majority of people put their grass clippings in a bin for collection. I think the clippings make good material for compost and usually collect the clippings and add them to a number of small compost heaps under shrubs and trees around the garden. There the compost and clippings make a good mulch and provide nutrients for the trees and shrubs. I don't understand why people would waste the organic material in the clippings by throwing it away but I would not want them on the lawn area as they would get transferred into the house too much, don't look very good and by providing the nutrients for the grass would take away form the clover and daisies that make the lawn a bit more coulourful and pollinator friendly. I would not want to have a pure grass only lawn so do not use fertiliser or weed killer chemicals on it. Maybe if you wanted a grass only lawn and did not walk on it a mulcher might make sense.

Harry Palmr

I suspect ones view on this topic may depend on where you live. I'm sure if I was in a damp part of the country where the grass never stops growing but is also hardly ever dry (west Cork/Kerry most obviously) I'd have a different view.

magicbastarder

Tripp Fancy Mandible wrote: »

Leaving the grass just gives the moss somewhere to grow.

the moss has been disappearing from our front garden, and never has been a factor in our back garden; i've been cutting the grass with an old style push mower with no collection, for 6+ years.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

If anything more people are mulching than ever before. It now seems to be the norm.

Infernal Racket

Installed an automower 3 years ago. Grass constantly munched now and it's never been healthier. When I used to mulch with the ride on the grass always grew back uneven and had horrible old grass in between the new growth which looked terrible.

shane b

A lot depends on the lawnmower people have too. My 15 year old honda was not designed as a mulch mower so I have no other option than to collect. Not every lawnmower can mulch and collect. Husgvarna I think now only a collect mower or a mulch mower.

Ms2011

macraignil wrote: »

thisonetaken wrote: »

I’ve been reading up about mulching grass and it seems there are so many benefits to it, I’m wondering why do the majority of people still put their cuttings in the bin? What are the drawbacks of mulching? From what I can see there are only benefits:
It’s easier not having to constantly stop mowing and empty the grass into the bin
It’s quicker
It’s better for your soil
It’s better for the environment not having to have big diesel spewing trucks come to your house every other week to collect your grass cuttings

I’m currently looking for a cordless electric mower with a mulcher but it seems manufacturers aren’t even bothered about saying whether mowers have this feature or not, I normally have to read reviews on Amazon to find this out.

by providing the nutrients for the grass would take away form the clover and daisies that make the lawn a bit more coulourful and pollinator friendly. I would not want to have a pure grass only lawn so do not use fertiliser or weed killer chemicals on it. Maybe if you wanted a grass only lawn and did not walk on it a mulcher might make sense.

I leave my clippings on the grass & my lawn which is an acre in size is awash with white & purple clover as well as buttercups & daisy.

macraignil

Ms2011 wrote: »

I leave my clippings on the grass & my lawn which is an acre in size is awash with white & purple clover as well as buttercups & daisy.

It's good to hear you have some flowers for pollinators in your lawn and if you find that leaving the clippings on the grass is working for you then I'm not going to tell you to do anything different. I have read a few times and seen on the BBC gardeners world program advice that taking away the clippings over time reduces the nutrients in the soil and so is beneficial to wildflowers which are suppressed by the grass when it is given high amounts of nutrients. I reckon it probably depends to some extent what your soil type is but I find that collecting the clippings seems to be the better option in my own garden. I think the clippings going to compost for other plants is better for them and the lawn seems to be doing fine without the clippings.

Discodog

thisonetaken wrote: »

I’ve been reading up about mulching grass and it seems there are so many benefits to it, I’m wondering why do the majority of people still put their cuttings in the bin? What are the drawbacks of mulching? From what I can see there are only benefits:
It’s easier not having to constantly stop mowing and empty the grass into the bin
It’s quicker
It’s better for your soil
It’s better for the environment not having to have big diesel spewing trucks come to your house every other week to collect your grass cuttings

I’m currently looking for a cordless electric mower with a mulcher but it seems manufacturers aren’t even bothered about saying whether mowers have this feature or not, I normally have to read reviews on Amazon to find this out.

A mulcher is just a double blade & most battery mowers wouldn't have anywhere near enough power for mulching.

Yes it ideally requires very regular cuts & dry grass - neither ideal in Ireland. The robot mowers can work well because they remove very small amounts, very often.

km79

NIMAN wrote: »

If mulching is leaving grass behind then the conditions aren't right to mulch, or you are taking off too much.

To mulch, grass has to be dry, and you have to cut a little off, but often.

This
I try to keep in top of it and do it every 5/6 days
It beats having to lump a heavy box around instead

thisonetaken

Discodog wrote: »

A mulcher is just a double blade & most battery mowers wouldn't have anywhere near enough power for mulching.

Yes it ideally requires very regular cuts & dry grass - neither ideal in Ireland. The robot mowers can work well because they remove very small amounts, very often.

If robot mowers can mulch then I don’t see why battery push mowers would not have the power to, I know the greenworks one can but just looking for more options

magicbastarder

i think the difference is that robot mowers nibble away at the grass, little and often. not something battery mowers do, they're probably taken out once a week at best.

Roen

thisonetaken wrote: »

If robot mowers can mulch then I don’t see why battery push mowers would not have the power to, I know the greenworks one can but just looking for more options

Not sure if you saw it earlier. Ego Power. About a grand.

Discodog

magicbastarder wrote: »

i think the difference is that robot mowers nibble away at the grass, little and often. not something battery mowers do, they're probably taken out once a week at best.

I don't mulch but I do use an Aldi battery mower - which is surprisingly good. However I could easily leave the grass for two weeks with a petrol mower but I have to cut every week with the battery.

thisonetaken

Roen wrote: »

Not sure if you saw it earlier. Ego Power. About a grand.

Thanks but think if I was spending that sort of money I’d go for a robot mower instead

monkeynuz

Harry Palmr wrote: »

I suspect ones view on this topic may depend on where you live. I'm sure if I was in a damp part of the country where the grass never stops growing but is also hardly ever dry (west Cork/Kerry most obviously) I'd have a different view.

Most people in west cork/Kerry mulch, I don’t because I think it’s horrible.

Doctors room ghost

I have my mower set up that she will only mulch.changed blades and plug fitted.grassbox in storage for years.
I find it much easier no jumping on and off the mower.no stop start.no grass pile.quicker.better for the grass and soil.
To each their own but at the moment it suits me

Roen

thisonetaken wrote: »

Thanks but think if I was spending that sort of money I’d go for a robot mower instead

Depends on the size of your garden. If it's small you'll get a robot for in or around that. Anyway large and you're doubling that at least.

GreeBo

For those that have been mulching for years, do you not have a problem with thatch build-up or are you also scarifying a couple of times a year?
My lawn has been mulched for ever (before I moved in) and there are really barely any grass plants in the soil, its all thatch, moss and old grass.

I scarified a section over the weekend and there is bugger all grass there when you remove the crap.

swoofer

yes mulching is a bugger for thatch and its a job and a half to get it out. I bought a machine a few years ago AL-KO 38P Combi-Care 2-in-1 Petrol Lawnrake/ Scarifier AND used it once.