[jetblk328i]

Hey guys i have a question. I have a yard with a lawn, its not huge but it will take about 45 mins to mow it. I have a mower which doesnt have a bag, it just shoots out the grass from the side. PA grass grows very fast. My son mows it every week and there are shavings everywhere. At first people told me that the grass shavings/clippings was good for the grass but now i hear that it isnt good. So recently ive had to rake up all the clippings and throw them away...this process takes about an hour!!! I hate doing this so the question is:

Are the Clippings good or bad for the grass and also do i have any options for the mower besides buying a new one?

I was thinking about making my own bag out of fabric or something...not sure if it will work.

thanks guys!!!

[nunavut]

Can you get a mulching attachment for your mower? On my Deere, I have a part that covers the output and it just chops up the grass to finer shavings. I haven't had any problems with the grass laying on top of the freshly cut grass- been doing this for 10+ years.

However, I do live in TN where the weather is inconsistent. My main problem is keeping the damn lawn green during the summer. I weed n' feed, fertilize and it helps a little. My neighbor's lawn though, it's like a golf course. His house was a demo so it had sod put in, but damn- I hang out in his yard more than mine!

[BoostedBMW]

You need to get a mulching lawnmower that will basically shred the clippings to the point where you can barely even see them when you leave them down if you are mowing the lawn once per week. I believe that the clippings are good for the lawn IF they are mulched up, but if they are just clumps on top of the lawn then it will kill the lawn underneath.

I just picked up a toro from home depot maybe a month ago. After having a honda for around 10 years, which was great, this mower is just as good with a little more power. It mulches EVERYTHING. The only clippings that you will see are those that blow onto the sidewalk or driveway when mowing the edge. Just get a mulching mower.

[TurboFan]

You would be best with a mulching mower. They have a specially designed blade housing / deck and a special blade for mulching applications. When bagging went out of vogue, and everyone started mulching, many people just bought a special blade and covered the discharge chute. This doesn't work well.

You do need to be careful about clipping buildup, especially if you start to see patchy or thin areas in the lawn. Watering frequently helps with clipping buildup (called thatching), but you may need to periodically de-thatch the lawn (real pita, can take a while). All the more reason to buy a quality mulching mower like a Honda or Toro to do the job right.