by
Dawn West, All About Lawns Columnist
With the increasing use of mulching mowers, people often wonder if and when to mulch their clippings. Mulching mowers discharge grass differently than conventional side-discharge mowers by using a special mulching blade that returns the grass clippings to the lawn through a continuous cut and re-cut motion. This process eventually drops the finely cut clippings back into the lawn as shown: Notice we didn't say onto the lawn. Many people who don't follow the 1/3 mowing rule, mow to quickly, or lack sufficient horsepower provided by the mower (see:
What Mower Should I Use?) will often times leave large clumps of grass on the lawn. These clippings are not sufficiently mulched to the point where they drop into the lawn.
Dawn West B.A. holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University and teaches writing at Oregon State University.
