Mulch.....and stuff!

[freefolk]

When it comes to mulching, there are some large piles of old grass clippings up the top of the communal area at the rear of our cottages. Can they be used as mulch? Can't see why not, but best to ask the experts!

[roitelet]

Yes, but dont put them on too thickly as they will heat up. A couple of inches at a time and wait until the ground is wet before putting them on.

[Penellype]

Are you sure that the grass has not been treated with weedkiller? If it is full of weeds it should be fine (but may contain a lot of seeds), if it looks like 100% grass I would be suspicious.

[freefolk]

The cuttings are from the communal grass patch behind our cottage, so NO weedkiller present!

[roitelet]

Make the most of them!!!!!!!

[Two_Sheds]

I use grass clippings mulch all year, ensure you water them after spreading, so they don’t blow around

[nickdub]

The other alternative is to compost the grass down in a heap which, if kept over winter would need a rain-proof cover - then use this materiel next year.

[4Shoes]

If you need soil structure, dig some in at tail end of the year. Saves the slime mess if you don't cover it properly. (I'd that problem last year). Get Cardboard to help composting process.

[Two_Sheds]

The other alternative is to compost the grass down in a heap

It’s not recommended to pile grass clippings into a heap, because they can spontaneously combust

[4Shoes]

It’s not recommended to pile grass clippings into a heap, because they can spontaneously combust

Aye, there is many a farmer found that out by bailing hay that was not dry.

That is why haylege is wrapped in plastic (big black bales in the country this time of year). Keeps the oxygen out. also why vermin not welcome.

[Jay-ell]

I use grass cuttings as a mulch on the beds through the year (when I get enough of it)and add it to the browns (cardboard, chipped prunings, leaves, etc) when I build and turn the compost pile.

As a mulch I make sure that the bed is moist enough - watering it if needed then lay the grass on about 2 inches (5 cm) thick then water it in to get it to mesh together.

In sunny weather it dries out to straw and shaded the soil keeping it moist.

In wet weather it acts like a shock absorber stopping the thumping rain drops from sending muck all up the leaves of the plants, cushioning the impact so the soil doesn't get compressed, slows down the flow of water over the surface stopping the soil being washed away as easy.

All the time it reduces the amount of seeds that germinate and make it to being weeded out.

[muck lover]

I use grass cuttings as a mulch on the beds through the year (when I get enough of it)and add it to the browns (cardboard, chipped prunings, leaves, etc) when I build and turn the compost pile.

As a mulch I make sure that the bed is moist enough - watering it if needed then lay the grass on about 2 inches (5 cm) thick then water it in to get it to mesh together.

In sunny weather it dries out to straw and shaded the soil keeping it moist.

In wet weather it acts like a shock absorber stopping the thumping rain drops from sending muck all up the leaves of the plants, cushioning the impact so the soil doesn't get compressed, slows down the flow of water over the surface stopping the soil being washed away as easy.

All the time it reduces the amount of seeds that germinate and make it to being weeded out.

Plus when it finally breaks down it’s a nitrogen source.
I was at the dump/recycling centre and nearly wept at all the lovely clippings being thrown away.

[nickdub]

some recycling places compost green waste and sell it later bagged up as comport.

[Snadger]

For composting its best to mix green with brown waste. Any organic mulch though is beneficial to the soil and improves its structure. A heavy mulch also suppresses weeds, holds in moisture and allows the worms to cultivate the soil for you. A no-dig philosophy has to be accompanied by heavy organic mulches.

[Jay-ell]

As an aside I've just cleared the old mulch off the onion bed. This went down in March and since then I've done very little weeding. Even today there were few weeds poking through, mainly in the corner of the bed where it was a little thin. Even where the onions had been lifted were covered and almost weed free.

The mulch was still about three quarters of an inch thick, and I reused it on the section with the leeks in.

This wasn't grass - instead it was the moss racked out of lawns (this is what the first green delivery from the compost fairy was this year). It's slow to break down - a lot slower than grass and is more like a brown than a green. I had worries that it would just come back to life and I'd have a moss bed but the conditions in the raised bed aren't the ones favoured by the moss.