What Should I Do With Grass Clippings? 5 Ideas to Try

A fresh-mowed lawn is as satisfying as yard work gets, except when you have to decide what to do with the grass clippings. Fear not—our tips can help you choose practical ways to reuse your grass clippings so they enrich your soil or compost and aren’t thrown away unnecessarily. Check out these five options to help you reduce, reuse, and recycle grass.

1. Use Clippings as Mulch

No need to head to your home improvement store or greenery for mulch—you can find the material right in your backyard. As long as your clippings are dry, you can spread them around your flower beds, vegetable gardens, shrubs, and trees to help reduce weeds and promote healthy growth. About 1 to 2 inches of clippings around your area of choice, so long as the space hasn’t been recently treated with herbicide, can give them an important job without letting them go to waste.

2. Compost the Clippings

Banana peels and egg shells aren’t the only scraps you can add to your compost pile. Grass clippings can also be incorporated and are a welcome addition due to their high nitrogen content. Make sure the clippings are mixed in with dry material, such as leaves or straw, to avoid bad odors from anaerobic decomposition. 

3. Return Clippings to Your Lawn 

Not all clippings need to be removed and repurposed or disposed of. If the circumstances allow, you can put your excess clippings right where they came from to help improve the soil. As long as the clippings are less than an inch in length, you can return them to your lawn, which is especially helpful if you have soil that’s sandy or heavy clay with low organic matter. 

4. Cover Bare Areas

If you have slopes or patches of your lawn that are bare, you can use your grass clippings to cover those areas to reduce the risk of soil erosion and improve the ground cover. You may want to consult your local lawn care professional on the best way to spread the clippings for the most efficient process.

5. Bag the Clappings

Although most lawn care professionals advise against bagging your excess clippings, in some situations it may be necessary. For instance, if your grass is dealing with bouts of diseases like rust, leaf, or dollar spot, you’re going to want to get rid of extra grass clippings so that they don’t spread disease elsewhere.