Mulching Mowers vs Catcher Mowers

There is no question about what the professionals recommend.

For the uninitiated, the question is between using a grass catcher and sending the clippings to the landfill or even to a organic waste recycling project (like we have here in Modesto), or cutting up the clippings extra-small and letting them disperse into the grass.

Most new mowers are designed to cut the clippings so small in most cases you can't even see them if you leave them behind.

The advantages are several.

1) Obviously it is less work to leave the clippings.

2) Every time you take clipping away you are removing plant nutrients that you have to replace. That means coming into the nursery and buying more fertilizer.

3) By mulching you add organic material to the soil. In the Central Valley, where our normal organic material percent in usually in the low one digits, this can help. As the clippings break down the organic material moves into the soil and adds nutrients, adding to the ability of the soil to retain nutrients and improving the soil texture.

The only down side is when you miss a week and the clippings are so long the mower gums them up and leaves a big mess. Even here if you come back in a couple of hours later when the clippings have had a chance to dry out you can go back over the lawn and mulch them in so they don't show.

In any case the lawn professionals all recommend leaving the clippings except when it is so thick that it is unsightly or in extreme cases so thick it can shade the grass.