Using a Lawn Mower Bag Vs. Mulching

Most standard push lawn mowers come with a lawn mower bagbut it’s up to you to decide whether or not you decide to use it. Unless you have a “mulching only” lawn mower, you’re going to have to figure out whether you want to bag your clippings, use them as mulch, and how often you’re going to do either option. So, what is the best decision for your lawn?

Mulching offers your lawn several benefits instead of using a lawn mower bag. It helps fertilize the yard, increases ground cover, and allows the lawn to hold more moisture. In fact, grass clippings can constantly fertilize your yard since they may contain as much as five percent nitrogen and eighty percent water. So if you mulch, you may not need to use as much fertilizer on your yard. Of course this is good because buying less fertilizer, means less money you have to spend in order to keep your lawn looking great. So using a lawn mower bag may not be good all the time.

What’s even better news is that mulching makes your life easier. You won’t have to worry about emptying your lawn mower bag and bagging the clippings so they can go out with the trash. So far we know that mulching means less work for you and more money stays in your pocket. Are there any disadvantages to mulching? There are a few.

For instance, if you don’t mulch properly, you’ll have little piles of grass clippings scattered all over the yard. Normally, with a mulching lawn mower, the clippings fall down into the yard in between the blades of grass so you don’t notice them. This layer of ground is called thatch and it’s very common in most yards. However, you don’t want those heaps of thatch all over your yard. Not only do they disrupt from the aesthetically pleasing appearance of a fresh-cut lawn, but they completely defeat the purpose of mulching. If this becomes a problem you may want to use a lawn mower bag.

Yes, mulching is good for your lawn on occasion, especially in times of drought or after you’ve fertilized. However, you shouldn’t mulch every time you mow. If you only have a mulching lawn mower and don’t have the option of using a lawn mower bag, you may have to use a rake to clean up excess clippings after mowing.

So, using a lawn mower bagor mulching will accomplish pretty much the same thing. Getting rid of the cuttings each time you mow. The choice is yours.