Mulching with grass clippings?

[OverWyreGrower]

Was reading the other day about using grass clippings/mowings as a mulch...

We have loads of grass cuttings, as we've got a huge lawn, so technically, I could mulch all my beds, and still have some left over for the compost!

How effective is grass on it's own? Would I have to do anything with it? Do they have to be fresh, or can they be slightly rotted to use?

(Sorry for the millions of questions!!)

[Flummery]

I believe Two Sheds uses clippings over potatoes instead of earthing up. If I hadn't 'done to death' most of my grass I'd consider doing the same. I would think it would be better to let it wilt a bit but it needn't be rotted.

[lottielady]

Hi
Last year I planted my leeks through newspaper and then mulched with grass clippings on the top to keep mositure in and it worked really well, the newspaper was wet to start with - Good luck

[chuffa]

Hi Over, grass clippings are also good at the bottom of the trench before you put your potatoes in.

[rustylady]

Cut the (huge) lawn at work today - Green bin full of grass clippings - unfortunately no way to get them to the lottie, so they've gone in the council green bin. If I had transport they would have been put in the bottom of the bean trench, some on the compost, and some for mulching round the strawberries.

[Two_Sheds]

Grass Clipping Mulch is great for potatoes (prevents scab) - and it means you don't need to earth them up - put on in no more than 2 inch thick layers at a time. Here's one I did earlier: potato grass mulch on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
It's apparently also good on carrots to prevent Carrot Root Fly (haven't tried this myself though).

[stv]

"Grass Clipping Mulch is great for potatoes (prevents scab) - and it means you don't need to earth them up - put on in no more than 2 inch thick layers at a time.
Would you put the grass onto potatoes still green, wilted or rotted?

[Two_Sheds]

I put it on fresh. You wouldn't want to be touching it once it starts 'cooking' - if left in a pile to rot it gets really hot and stinky. That's also why you don't put huge amounts on at once ... just a two inch layer at a time to prevent it heating up.

[Wren]

It all makes sense though i do worry about using grass clippings as a mulch.
I once see more slugs on a pile of grass clipping than i ever did see in my whole life!

I would be fretting too much about the wee beggars taking advantage of slug Paradise to use grass cuttings as a mulch myself.

Wren

[sez]

hm we just cut the very overgrown grass so got loads of the stuff (only had the energy to rake up and bin half of it), so i might put some in my strawberry pots, maybe round the peas too?