I talked last week about some basic mowing strategies and general rules of thumb to follow for mowing turfgrass. A supplemental topic to that is recycling clippings when you mow. Clippings are currently considered acceptable disposable waste here in Kansas but we should be prepared for necessary alternatives to get rid of clippings. Because of both extra effort required and the loss of nutritive value in clippings with the other options, the recycling option is the easiest and the most beneficial alternative to trash waste.
Recycled clippings can return valuable nutrients and organic material to the turfgrass system.
Much of the fertilizer nitrogen taken up by turfgrass plants goes to make new shoot material, so it often ends up in mowed clippings. Removal of these clippings takes this nitrogen out of the system permanently while recycling clippings also recycles this nitrogen. Because clippings are mostly made up of water, they decompose evenly and quickly back into a lawn. They therefore do not contribute to thatch buildup, as was thought to be the case for many years. Recycling of clippings can be a beneficial tool to promoting healthy turfgrass without generating waste.