Lawns are inviting, even more so when you see a neatly cut lawn. You want to lie on it and relax.
A lot of activities have occurred for that lawn to be looking almost perfect. One of such activities is mowing, which is a significant factor in the quality of your lawn.
After mowing your lawn, you’re left with a huge chunk of grass clippings depending on the size of your yard, but what do you do with all that?
Do you pack them in a trash can to be thrown away?
If you do not manage your clippings well, you’ll be left with unsightly heaps of clippings on your lawn or bags of clippings waiting for the waste disposal guys.
If you do this, you’ve been missing out on a lot. There are several beneficial ways to use the clippings from your lawn. I’ll be showing you 11 ways to use those clippings you’ve been throwing away.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in.
11 Ways to Use Grass Clippings:
1. Leave it
Perhaps the most convenient among all the uses and one a lot of you already practice but maybe the wrong way.
Leaving heaps of grass clippings lying around can be unpleasant to look at. The key to getting away with clippings on your yard is leaving only a small portion.
How do you do this?
First, mow frequently to avoid the grass growing too tall, which means more grass portions to be cut off.
Make use of a mower with sharp blades to give clean cuts. A mulching mower will work even better as it will chop the grass into smaller pieces. This will mean you’re left with tiny bits of clippings on your lawn after every mowing session.
These clippings will then decompose and provide some vital nutrients like nitrogen to your lawn.
2. Use as Mulch in Your Flower Beds
Grass clippings can be used as mulch in your garden. Using grass clippings as mulch will save you the money you would’ve otherwise used to purchase mulch.
Mulching helps in the suppression of weeds, regularization of soil temperature, and conservation of moisture. Do you see why using mulch around your vegetation is essential?
When using clippings as mulch, you do not want the grass to decompose, so drying it first is essential. Not only is decomposed grass offensive, but they can also clog the soil, preventing enough oxygen from entering.
3. Add Grass Clippings to Your Compost Pile
Compost is a natural fertilizer that can boost the growth of your plants without costing you a fortune.
Making compost is easy, and everyone with a garden should have a compost pile in their backyard. This pile will contain grass clippings, dry leaves, and other plant materials, alongside a small soil portion with microorganisms that can break the pile down.
You can add grass clippings to your backyard pile, which will serve as manure after being left to decompose.
4. Make a Liquid Organic Fertilizer
You can use your grass clippings to make a liquid feed. They are effective fertilizers you can spray on your garden.
To make this feed, put a bunch of grass clippings into a bucket and add water. The water should cover the surface of the clippings.
This mixture would attract many mosquitoes, so keeping the bucket indoors or using an organic mosquito control would be ideal.
Leave the mixture for at least two weeks to ferment. The smell would be awful, but the benefits are worth it. You can put it in a spray container and feed your plants with it.
5. Grass Clippings As Feed for Livestock
If you’re rearing livestock, I have good news for you. Instead of throwing away your clippings, why not use them to feed the herbivorous animals among them?
Animals like goats, rabbits, and cows love grass clippings and would munch on them all day long. It’s a win-win situation as your animals are fed and healthy while you save most and clear your yard of annoying bags of grass.
Letting moisture on the clippings dry will allow the grass to last longer and prevent your animals from falling sick.
6. Use as Mulch in Your Container Garden
One thing container gardeners hate the most is continuously watering their container plants because they keep getting dry.
But you have to water them, right?
Yes and no. Using mulch in your container garden will help reduce the amount of water they need because less water will be lost from the soil through evaporation.
Remember, just like using mulch in flower beds, the grass needs to be dried first, so decomposition is discouraged.
A thin layer of between 1 and 2 inches of grass clippings will serve this purpose.
7. Grass Clippings as a Layer in Your Raised Garden Bed
Raised garden beds have quickly become the go-to option when planting specific plants and for people with limited garden space.
But the task of filling up a raised garden bed is no mean feat if not done correctly. Your grass clippings will help you fill up that raised bed and also reduce the amount of compost that’ll be needed throughout the growing season.
The clippings will decompose with time and provide steady nutrients for your plants.
Use clippings to fill up some layers of the bed before adding soil to get the best out of it.
8. Dye that Wouldn’t Kill Your Jeans
Who doesn’t love a good pun?
Who doesn’t love an even better dye?
Your grass can be the perfect green dye for your jeans. When your jeans begin to lose their color, remember your grass clippings. You can make a natural dye for your clothes from grass clippings.
To make it resistant to fading, add a mordant. This will increase its colorfastness and improve the quality of the color.
For a better dye quality, use freshly cut clippings, preferably less than 12 hours after cutting.
9. Let Your Friend Have the Grass Clippings
You might have friends in dire need of grass clippings. Make that call and let them have it.
You can even post about free grass clippings on sites like craigslist and give them to neighbors. Who knows, you might even find some people willing to mow your lawn for you just to get the clippings after that.
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
10. Green Water for Your Fishes
Fish farmers, I have something for you too.
Green water is an essential aspect of fish farming as fishes rely on it for food. Of course, you can always get it from a friend, but what if your friend runs out of green water when you need it the most?
Having your green water will save you the hassle.
You can make yours by filling a large container with untreated water and placing a mesh bag of grass clippings inside. Leave it for some days and watch the water change its color, ready to feed your fishes.
11. Weed Barrier
Weeds are a challenge for most gardeners, and sometimes it can be overwhelming to find the portion of land you want to use overrun with weeds.
Do not worry; I have just the solution for you.
You can fill up the area with up to four inches of grass clippings and water it down. This will form a sort of layer that’ll prevent the growth of weed. Keep adding the clippings and watering it down whenever you mow the other areas.
When you’re ready to use your land, rake the grass clipping away, and your land would be ready to be worked on.
Finally – Keep this in Mind
Grass clippings do not cause thatch: shocking, right? Leaving grass clippings on your lawn will not cause thatch. Clippings are mostly water and will decompose after a while as long as you mow regularly.
When to bag clippings: I know I said you could use your clippings for many other things, but when you notice your grass has some diseases, it is best to bag them and have waste disposal take them out. This will prevent the spread of the disease.
Grass clippings can be used extensively in your home, saving you money and time in the process.
