Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer? How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings? The Ultimate Guide

by Lee Safin

A famous grass researcher quotes,

“The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side (of the Fence)”

Our nature won’t be incomplete without grass as it plays a vital role in our ecosystem. Apart from eliminating harmful airborne pollutants, they improve soil quality and work like a fertilizer.

Do grass clippings make good fertilizer?

Research has shown that grass clippings work as a healthy fertilizer. It can fulfill up to 40% requirements of lawns. However, you want to make sure you didn’t use any pesticides or chemicals on your grass. They will only be a good source of fertilizer for your garden soil and help plants grow.

Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer? How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings? The Ultimate Guide
Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer? How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings? The Ultimate Guide

Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer?

Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer?
Do Grass Clippings Make Good Fertilizer?

If you have just started a new garden as a hobby, you may hear this question: do grass clippings make good fertilizer?

When you want to build a healthy lawn in your garden, grass clippings are an effective option to consider. Unsurprisingly, many gardeners use them as a natural source of fertilizer. In addition, as it is readily accessible, you are saving yourself from spending additional money.

You can use Grass clippings in different ways for your garden.  They provide several benefits for soil, such as stopping weed development, retaining moisture, etc.

However, many gardeners make the mistake of thinking that thatch builds up due to grass clippings. They believe it will damage the grass quality. But it is incorrect.

When you know the correct method of using grass clippings, you can utilize it for your garden lawns and make the soil healthy.

How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings? Step By Step Guide

Wondering how do you make fertilizer from grass clippings? The best way to create fertilizer from grass clippings is by following an effective method. Garden experts called this method “Grasscycling.”

This is how you need to proceed to make the best fertilizer from grass clippings.

Step 1. Select The Appropriate Length

How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings - Step 1 - Appropriate Length Of Grass
How Do You Make Fertilizer From Grass Clippings - Step 1 - Appropriate Length Of Grass

Choosing an appropriate length for grass clippings is essential. Without selecting a perfect size, grass clippings won’t be much effective for your soil.

So, what is the ideal height of glass clippers?

According to experts, glass clippings size should be one-third of the actual grass.

For example, if your lawn is 3 inches in height, you want to keep 1 inch for grass clippings. In addition, when the lawn becomes 4 inches tall, trim one inch.

Step 2. Use The Correct Tool

American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Red
American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Red

Several tools are available for cutting grass. However, not all equipment can grass evenly. You can use mulching mowers or push mowers as they are handy enough to cut grass precisely.

Some people use gas or an electric mower to mow grasses. If you want to use it, make sure they have decent power to cut grass consistently. But we recommend the above one as we used it in our project Nexturn Agro Tech to make fertilizer from grass clippings.

If you are interested to know more about Which Are The Best Lawn Mowers For Small Yards? then check our latest article.

Step 3. Choose A Sharp Blade

American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Red
American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Red

Cutting grass consistently is crucial to get the same results for grass clippings. That’s why you want to choose a sharp blade for your mower to cut smoothly without crawling in the middle.

It is best to keep a sharpener while mowing grass. Therefore, you can sharpen the blade whenever you feel the necessity to do it. A sharp blade will aid you in mowing grass consistently and make grass clippings healthy.

Step 4. Balanced Distribution

When you want to achieve a balanced distribution for grass clippings, trim grass back and forth. Avoid trimming them in only one direction. It will help you achieve a consistent result for all grass clippings.

Step 5. Keep Grass Clippings On The Ground

After trimming the grass clippings, you don’t need to collect them together. Let them stay on the soil just the way they are. Just spread the grass clippings on the area evenly to not pile up in a particular spot.

Is It Better To Leave Grass Clippings On The Lawn?

Are you confused in this question, “Is it better to leave grass clippings on the lawn?”

Leaving grass clippings on the lawn allows clippings to decompose and add water and nutrition to the soil surface.

However, let your grass grow to a reasonable length without being oversized. Overlength grasses will heap up and prevent clippings from decomposing quickly. It will be nothing but a collection of elevated grass.

What Is The Best Thing To Do With Grass Clippings?

Many new gardeners often asked this question: what is the best thing to do with grass clippings? There are several uses for grass clippings. Here we are mentioning some of the best usages of grass clippings.

Usage Of Grass Clippings As Mulch

What Is The Best Thing To Do With Grass Clippings - Usage Of Grass Clippings As Mulch
What Is The Best Thing To Do With Grass Clippings - Usage Of Grass Clippings As Mulch

Mulch is essential for most plants to retain moisture, control temperature, and weeds. Keep grass clippings only 1-2 inches long for mulching a particular plant.

Try to choose grass clippings from dry lawns. Because damp lawns will slow down the drainage system and decrease the oxygen level for the plant root.

Elevated Garden Beds

How To Build Garden Bed With Grass Clippings
How To Build Garden Bed With Grass Clippings

You can use grass clippings as an elevated garden bed for your plants. This will prevent weed growth, add a decent amount of nutrition for the soil, and retain moisture to keep the soil hydrated.

Make sure not to make garden beds excessively thick —a few inches of bed is enough. When the decomposing process occurs, the bed will reduce. You can add some extra grass clippings during the growing season.

Create Watery Lawn Clipping Fertilizer

Create Watery Lawn Clipping Fertilizer - What Is The Best Thing To Do With Grass Clippings
Create Watery Lawn Clipping Fertilizer - What Is The Best Thing To Do With Grass Clippings

Making 100% organic liquid fertilizer from grass clippings is also possible. Fill up a buck two-third of space with the grass clippings and add water to cover remain portion.

Keep stirring the solution and soak it for 3-4 days. Now, strain grass clippings from the formula and add liquid to your plants.

Use With Other Fertilizer

When you want to make high-quality fertilizers, you can add grass clippings with compost. For example, adding grass clippings with carbon-rich materials makes the fertilizer more solid and highly nutritional.

As grass clippings are natural, we suggest adding other fertilizers in large portions to make them more effective.

What Nutrients Do Grass Clippings Add To Soil?

Do you know what nutrients do grass clippings add to the soil? Adding grass clippings to the soil gives it several benefits, including a decent amount of nitrogen.

According to several studies, four types of nutrients are available in grass clippings.

It makes the grass soil healthy, allowing other plants to grow faster on the soil. In addition, it will reduce soil evaporation and boost porosity.

What Benefits Do Grass Clippings Provide If Returned To The Lawn?

Are you wondering what benefits do grass clippings provide if returned to the lawn?

Nitrogen is abundant in grass clippings, which helps lawns to thrive. Lack of sufficient nitrogen makes lawns scrubby and unhealthy. Also, they will look slightly yellowish.

The best thing is that gardeners are using refused natural items, saving their costs. In addition, grass clippings become compatible with lawns as fast as they can because they have already lived in that environment.

Using grass clippings for lawns makes the grass healthy, strong, greener, and thicker. Hopefully, now you know what benefits do grass clippings provide if returned to the lawn.

A Time-Saving Method

What Benefits Do Grass Clippings Provide If Returned To The Lawn?
What Benefits Do Grass Clippings Provide If Returned To The Lawn?

You’ll be able to mow your lawn much faster and more conveniently. In addition, you will save time as you don’t need to use any bag for collecting grass clippings.

The clippings will not cause any harm to the grass if you leave them. Hence, it is convenient, simple, and hassle-free to mow the lawn without taking much time.

Waste Will Be Reduced

According to a study, yard trimmings accounted for 13% of municipal solid waste up until 2017, making up 35.2 million tons.

Keeping grass clippings inside bags makes them slow for decomposing. In addition, grasscycling is the method you can follow to maximize the use of grass clippings for soil.

Low Usage Of Water And Fertilizer

Can I Water My Garden In Evening?
Can I Water My Garden In Evening?

As you have already known, grass clippings work as a natural fertilizer for the soil. Therefore, you need to use less amount of fertilizer.

Besides, grass clippings hold a good amount of moisture for soil for a long time. So watering your plants is not necessary as frequently as you would without grass clippings.

Why Grass Clippings are Good for Lawns?

No matter how powerful and effective unnatural solutions you use, they can’t compete with natural solutions. So, lawns benefit from grass clippings because they come from directly natural resources. So, isn’t it enough to reply to this question, “Why grass clippings are good for lawns?”

Grass clippings are the same as the grass itself. Hence, it will provide the same nutrition for laws as it gets from directly from grasses. So, now you know why grass clippings are good for lawns.

Wrapping Up

So, what do you think about this question: do grass clippings make good fertilizer? When you have the chance to add natural fertilizer to your garden, why not grab the opportunity?

You will save money as well as prevent wasting less garbage. We have discussed several eco-friendly ways to use grass clippings for your garden. Hopefully, you have learned some critical things on how to make the best use of grass clippings for your garden soil.

Read More – Will Grass Grow Back After Being Burned By Weed Killer? Expert’s Opinion

Last update on 2023-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Lee Safin

Lee Safin was born near Sacramento, California on a prune growing farm. His parents were immigrants from Russia who had fled the Bolshevik Revolution. They were determined to give their children a better life than they had known. Education was the key for Lee and his siblings, so they could make their own way in the world. Lee attended five universities, where he studied plant sciences and soil technologies. He also has many years of experience in the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a commercial fertilizer formulator.

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