Mulching with grass clippings is a great thing. The beds are supplied with nutrients, protected from drying out and weeds. How much mulch is allowed on the vegetable beds? What is to be considered?

In a nutshell

  • Mulching has many benefits
  • e.g. weed protection, nutrient supply, protection of the soil, habitat for microorganisms
  • saves time and effort in the garden
  • different materials can be used as mulch
  • Only apply a small amount of mulch from lawn clippings when it is dry

mulching

The forest shows us how soil of the best quality can be created without any chemicals or human intervention. The leaves are falling from the trees. Just like pine cones, nuts, acorns, branches and twigs, they just stay put and form a thick layer. The organic material gradually decomposes. Valuable hummus is created.

Covering the soil is called mulching. Organic material such as grass cuttings, chopped wood cuttings or bark is mostly used.

Mulching strawberries with straw, for example, is said to keep the fruit clean and protect it from fungal diseases.

Other benefits of mulching

  • saves time weeding
  • reduces irrigation effort and saves water
  • supplies the soil with nutrients and saves money on fertilizers
  • protects the floor in heavy rain, prevents washing out
  • allows the water to seep away slowly
  • protects against temperature fluctuations
  • prepares a perfect habitat for soil organisms

Mulching with grass clippings

When it is warm and humid, the grass grows particularly quickly. It has to be mowed regularly and grass clippings are regularly produced. Then the question arises, where to put the “waste”? One option is to use the clippings on the compost heap. Under no circumstances should a thick layer of fresh lawn clippings end up on the compost. The fine material condenses and would quickly turn into a dense, smelly mass. The reason is that the air supply required for rotting is not guaranteed. Instead of rotting, fermentation begins in the thick layer of grass.

Before using the lawn clippings, you should let them dry.

If you want to compost the cut grass, leave it on the lawn for a week days. Then rake it up, mix it with other garden waste and add the fluffy mixture to the compost. Alternatively it can Clippings can simply be left lying on the lawn or, when dried, unfold their effect on the bed.

mulch beets

  1. Remove the grass collector from your lawnmower and mow the lawn as usual. The grass clippings are distributed over the entire lawn.
  2. Allow the clippings to dry for a week or two.
  3. Turn the grass in between.
  4. Rake up the dried grass.
  5. Work horn shavings into the vegetable beds and spread the lawn mulch thinly over the beds.
Before you mulch vegetable beds with lawn clippings, you should work horn shavings into the soil.

How much grass clippings can be used for mulching on the beds?

Grass clippings should be dried and no thicker than five inches laid out on the vegetable patch. If the cut grass is placed too thick on the beds, the same thing happens as on the compost heap. The fine material condenses, begins to ferment and stinks. Alternatively, after mowing the lawn, you can distribute the fresh cuttings very thinly over all beds.

mulch the lawn

The lawn also benefits when it is mulched. Mow the lawn in the spring and put the dried clippings on the beds or on the compost. Scarify the lawn and fertilize if necessary.

The lawn should only be given a mulch layer the second time it is mowed in the year. On a dry, warm day, mow when the stalks are between two and three inches long. Shorten the stalks by about 30 percent. However, they should never be cut shorter than three centimeters.

To mulch lawns, you should never cut the stalks too short!

The mulch layer on the lawn may no thicker than two centimeters being. If you mulch every two weeks, the lawn can develop well.

Tip: If you want to turn a lawn into a bed, a mulch pad can be a good help. Cover the area with grass clippings and wait three to four weeks. The lawn dies. You can then simply dig up the area and create a new bed.

Note the nitrogen requirement!

Note that mulch first consumes nitrogen as it rots. This can result in the soil being deprived of nitrogen, which vegetables desperately need to grow. Anyone who ignores this connection can reduce the harvest success by mulching instead of increasing it.

Only after the rotting phase is nitrogen added to the soil through the mulch layer.

Tip: If you put one kilogram of fine lawn clippings in a container with ten liters of water and leave it for one to two weeks, you will get the perfect manure for plants.

frequently asked Questions

Can all beds be mulched with grass clippings?

Perennials that require dry soil should not be given a lawn mulch cover. Densely planted perennial beds do not need mulch. Usually the ornamental plants are self-propagating and cover the ground.

Do weeds need to be removed before mulching?

We recommend removing weeds from the bed before spreading the grass mulch and fertilizing it with a long-term fertilizer, such as horn shavings.

How long should the blades of grass be in the mulch?

Lawn clippings for mulching should be as short as possible. Modern lawn mowers are equipped with a mulching kit that ejects perfectly finely chopped stalks.

Can grass clippings be mixed with other mulching materials?

Mixing the grass clippings with wood chips, leaves, straw or bark optimizes the effect. In this way, the plants are supplied with valuable nutrients and the risk of the grass mulch rotting is significantly reduced.

Do all soil types benefit from a mulch layer?

The quality of the garden soil and the type of mulching material must match. If the soil is loamy, a mulch layer can promote waterlogging. Solid ground may only be mulched with very permeable material and in a very small dose.

Category:

Garden maintenance