Mulching vs. Bagging Grass Clippings: Which is Best For Your Lawn?
Mulching vs. bagging grass clippings? Do you know the difference? As the weather starts to warm up, more and more people are beginning to mow their lawns. And that means one thing, grass clippings! In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the pros and cons of mulching and bagging. Read on to find out which option is best for your yard!
Mulching vs. Bagging Grass Clippings
Mulching vs. bagging? Which is best for your lawn. There are pros and cons to both options. Comparing the two methods will help you decide which best way to deal with grass clippings. Each garden is unique, and every gardener’s situation is different. What works best for me may be totally wrong for you. It depends on circumstances and local regulations. You need to decide which is better for you. To help you decide, we’ve created some tables, so you can compare the two methods side by side.
Pros of Both Methods
Mulching vs. bagging? Here is the upside of each method. Want more detail? Click on the links in the table to jump to the appropriate section of the post.
| Pros of Bagging | Pros of Mulching |
|---|---|
| Less mess and neater lawn | Less effort/ easier to do |
| Better for longer grass | Less expense |
| Prevents the spread of disease/weeds | Provides natural fertilizer for lawn |
| Provides green compost | Better for environment |
Cons of Both Methods
Mulching vs. bagging? Here is the downside of each method. Want more detail? Click on the links in the table to jump to the appropriate section of the post.
| Cons of Bagging | Cons of Mulching |
|---|---|
| More time consuming | Grass clippings can be unsightly |
| Costs of disposal | Need to mow more often |
| Composting can be tricky | More lawn mower maintenance |
| Deprives grass of natural natural fertilizer | Can spread disease/weeds |
Mulching vs. Bagging-What Is Bagging?
Bagging is the process of collecting grass clippings and either putting them in a compost bin or disposing of them in approved yard waste bags.
What Are The Benefits Of Bagging Lawn Clippings?
Less mess: Bagging grass clippings instead of mulching them can help keep your yard clean and tidy. The clippings are collected in a bag. So, there is less chance of them getting scattered around the yard or sticking to your shoes and clothes.
Better when cutting long grass: Bagging is the best method of dealing with grass clippings that result from cutting long grass. Cutting long grass produces thick clumps of clippings, which smother the growing grass left behind. Bagging the clippings will prevent this.
Prevents the spread of weeds and disease: Bagging mulched grass clippings reduces the chance of spreading weed seeds and limits lawn disease. This is particularly important if you are trying to rehabilitate an existing lawn.
Easy as most lawn mowers come with a bag: Bagging is more manageable because most lawn mowers come with a bag to collect the grass clippings. No more raking is required. They can be quickly dumped into the compost or waste container.
Composting will return goodness to the soil: Grass clippings are great for the compost bin. They contain many beneficial nutrients, such as nitrogen and potassium. The grass will decompose in the compost heap and release those nutrients for use in the garden. A healthy compost pile must contain a good mixture of green and brown materials to decompose effectively. Freshly cut grass clippings are an excellent source of green compost material.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Bagging Grass?
It can be costly to dispose of grass clippings: You have to do something with those bagged clippings. Some municipalities do not collect yard waste, so you may have to transport it to a composting station. Depending on your municipality, there may be a fee for disposing grass clippings in a yard waste container.
Composting grass clippings is more challenging than you think. If you are not careful, grass clippings can turn your compost heap into a smelly, slimy mess. This is because grass clippings tend to compact, limiting aeration and slowing down the decomposition process. The resulting anaerobic conditions are perfect for the bacteria that produce that awful smell. You need to add in some brown material, such as straw, at the same time to prevent this. Learn more about green and brown compost.
If you treat your lawn, your grass clippings may also contain herbicides and pesticides. You may not want to have these in your compost bin. Especially if you plan to use it in your vegetable garden.
Time-consuming: Bagging is more time-consuming than mulching because you have to collect the clippings in a bag and dispose of them. This means raking if you do not have a bag attachment or constantly emptying the bag if you do. That bag fills up much faster than you think. I speak from personal experience here.
You deprive your grass of natural fertilizer: Grass clippings contain many beneficial nutrients. If you leave them on the lawn, they will naturally decompose and feed your grass.
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Bagging Equipment
Bagging requires either a good rake or a mower with a bag attachment. A rake is the cheapest option, but it is also labor-intensive. A mower with a bag attachment will make the job much easier, but it will also be more expensive.
If you are not composting, you’ll need a yard waste container or bags to collect the clippings. These can be purchased from your local hardware store or trash collection company. Otherwise, you will need a compost bin.
Finding this post helpful? See all our lawn care articles.
Mulching vs. Bagging-What Is Mulching?
Mulching grass clippings is the process of leaving the clippings on the lawn to decompose and return their nutrients to the soil. This is done using mowers with mulching functions that cut the grass twice. The first cut comes when the grass is mown, and the second happens within the mower deck. The mown grass is re-cut into fine grass cuttings and deposited on the lawn.
Advantages Of Mulching?
Provides extra nutrients for your lawn: Mulching is a great way to recycle the cut grass. The grass clippings are left on the lawn, where they will decompose and release their nutrients. Thus feeding your lawn for free.
It requires less effort: You need a mulching mower, which most lawnmowers now are. You do not have to rake or bag the clippings. Simply mow the grass and walk away.
It’s free: You don’t have to worry about disposing of the grass clippings. No one is charging you for leaving them on the lawn. You will save on the cost of waste containers or bags. Depending on where you live, you could also save on the cost of waste disposal.
If you want to mulch your lawn, you will need a good mulching blade. Read our buyers guide to see our top picks.
Disadvantages Of Mulching Grass
Leaving your grass clippings on the lawn to mulch is a great way to recycle them and return their nutrients to the soil, but this method has some disadvantages.
Grass clippings can look unsightly: Obviously, you will leave clippings all over the lawn when you mulch. After all, that is the point, right? However, these can look unsightly if they clump together, and some people prefer to remove them. Fresh grass clippings tend to end up everywhere. They will stick to your footwear and blow onto your paths and patios.
Need to mow more often: Mulching does not work well on longer grass. The clippings will clog up your mower and cause problems. They will also clump together on the lawn. If you want to avoid these problems, you need to mow more often so that the grass doesn’t grow too much between mows.
May increase the amount of lawn mower maintenance: effective mulching requires a sharp mulching blade. That grass needs to be chopped up very finely, so you need to keep the blade as sharp as possible. You will probably need to sharpen the blade more often than if you were bagging the clippings.
Can cause the spread of weeds and disease: If you are mulching your lawn, you risk spreading any existing weeds and disease spores around your lawn. We advise holding off on mulching until you have any weeds or diseases under control.
Mulching Equipment
All you need for mulching is a mulching mower. These mowers have specially shaped blades and a mulching deck for the second cut inside. You can choose between a dedicated mulching mower or designs that offer the choice of mowing, mulching, or grass collection.
Does Mulching Cause Thatch Build Up?
Some gardeners worry that leaving grass clippings on the lawn will create more thatch that has to be dealt with. Thatch is composed of dead organic material that builds up faster than it can decompose. It can cause problems if it gets too thick. If you are using a mulching mower, the resulting grass clippings will be very fine and decompose quickly. They shouldn’t increase thatch in your grass.
Read more about thatch and how to deal with it.
Is Bagging Better Than Mulching?
If there is one thing we’ve learned about gardening, there is no one size fits all answer. It really depends on your circumstances. In a nutshell, mulching is USUALLY better for your lawn, EXCEPT when the grass is longer than usual, or you are dealing with disease and/or weeds. In those situations, bagging is the best solution.
This is how we made our decision. We live in a small rural community. This means we are responsible for our trash and must lug everything to the local transfer station dealing with waste. We pay for garbage disposal by the bag. Compost is a big part of our gardening, but our bins quickly fill up with garden and kitchen waste. Our choice is the mulch because we do not want the burden of dragging bags of grass clippings and paying for their removal. Composting grass clippings would require the building of more bins.
Mulching vs. bagging. Which method is better for your lawn? Only you can decide.
There is no easy answer when it comes to mulching vs. bagging grass clippings. It depends on your individual circumstances and what works best for you. If you are unsure, we suggest doing some trial and error to see which method works better for your lawn. Whichever method you choose, keep your lawn mower blade sharp to ensure finely chopped clippings. Mulching can also cause the spread of weeds and disease, so make sure your lawn is free of these problems before mulching. Ultimately, the best method is the one that works best for you and your yard. Thanks for reading!
Footnotes and Sources
Usually, when I write a post, I look at the scientific studies and books and use that information. This post was different because it is based solely on my experience as a gardener. I have tried bagging and mulching and experienced the pros and cons firsthand. I’ve also had a few composting fails with grass clippings, so I know how tricky that can be. In short, this post is based on 40 years of experience. See you in the garden!