If you live in a cold area, the composting process will occur much more quickly if you move your containers indoors. To compost using grass clippings, you will obviously need grass clippings. You can then add them to the pile to maintain the balance. Now you have a much better idea of how to compost grass clippings, which can save you money on fertilizer for your garden. What you put in your compost can influence the speed of decomposition and quality of compost produced. HOW TO COMPOST GRASS CLIPPINGS. I fear if I do this it will become too full of soil (or just too full in any case), however it might help to mix the soil and compost, which I need to do anyhow. If you own a compost tumbler, putting your leaves and grass clippings in it may help them decompose quicker, adding the right balance of carbon and nitrogen to your garden soil. As we have mentioned, it is essential to keep a balance between green and brown materials when composting. Can Twigs & Rose Cuttings Go in a Compost Bin?. If you follow that recommendation, you would dispose of the clippings resulting from the first three mowings following a weed-and-feed application. Add more as you need to throughout the growing season! You will find various other methods on the Internet. Making Compost From Grass Cuttings The volume of grass cuttings during late spring and summer often exceeds the supply of other green waste to make a suitable compost mixture. You want to compost them. This start to finish tutorial on composting will walk through the basicrules of composting. If you use them right, they can save you time and money while also creating a healthier lawn. However, large amounts of fresh clippings, all at one time, can create odor problems. This particular method involves the use of soil as an essential ingredient. Layers of partly rotted … However, you could also use a sheet of cardboard or an old carpet to cover your container. It is okay if some grass seed is visible on the surface—this is better than burying seeds too deep. It can also be stored in a bag and added to the compost over time if there's too much straightaway. However, the process can be more complicated than many gardeners may think. Plastic compost bins or adapted receptacles are much better than using ordinary plastic bags. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. Grass Composting Tips. More so, if you need a lot of compost and have a small garden, you are likely to have to mow your lawn multiple times to collect enough grass. Next time, don't build large grass piles of wet green grass, let it dry a bit and then use for mulch. However, you must keep a balance between green and brown materials. The first thing you have to be sure of when you are recycling your grass clippings is that you haven’t been using any nasty chemicals on your lawn as you really don’t want to then spread chemicals into your soil. Patience: The Final Ingredient. They can use them to feed their cattle or add them to their compost heaps, which you might not have space for at home. Mow grass to its ideal height, which is 3 inches for cool-season grasses and 2 inches for warm season grasses. There are various methods in which you can collect this material. Using Grass Clippings as Compost Can Be Great Composting your grass clippings is a great way to recycle essential nutrients. Lawn clippings can also go to your compost piles or bins. Expect most grass-clipping compost piles to take between 4-8 weeks. Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below. Now you can use clippings to make great compost, but to do so you have to mix small amounts of well-shredded grass clippings in with large amounts of well-shredded leaves. If you live near the sea some seaweed will work wonders as well adding to the effect of the eventual compost fertilizer. Too thick a mulch and you get a hot, slimy layer that does nothing more than please the slugs. Grass is one of the quickest materials to compost. to create heat and make the compost … A small amount should be sufficient. I believe that cutting grass long (meaning, using a “taller” setting on your mower) and just letting the clippings go back into the grass is the best method of dealing with grass clippings. Initially, you need to make a layer of grass cuttings about 20 cm in depth. Gary on Friday 6 … You can compost grass clippings that have been treated with most herbicides as they will break down in the composting process. If you do use grass clippings (like Vicki) then covering the clippings each week with new clippings will usually smother any seeds attempting to grow from the last cover. That is a waste of organic matter. Good luck in your composting and mulching! To be successful, you will need to be aware of a few things. To turn your compost, you must empty the bin or heap before refilling it again. You lost your nitrogen in the form of ammonia (stink) when the pile heated up." From the fourth mowing on, the clippings would be fine to include in your compost and to apply to a … Riding lawn mowers can come with grass catchers but in some cases, they don't. For this reason, it is a good idea to turn your clippings often. In an effort to build healthy garden soil, many gardeners put a lot of work into maintaining their compost bins. OR You can end up with a black anaerobic slime. The same thing happened again this spring. But there are ingredients that you can add to grass clippings that will enhance the mix and, possibly, speed up the composting process. Monitor the moisture levels within your composting container – if you notice that it looks too dry, add small amounts of water. Many people find the process of cutting and collecting grass very long and tiresome. If your compost is mostly browns, you can accept that the process will take longer or you can compensate by adding nitrogen. But you need to learn how to do it properly so both your lawn and compost bin are happy! In this article, we will be discussing everything that you should know before you go ahead with composting your grass clippings. I use grass cuttings as mulche on flower beds and around newly planted trees. For this reason, you will want to add small amounts of water to your pile whenever you experience a warmer day. If you experience a traditional cold winter, you probably have cool season grass! This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Grass clippings are essential addition to your compost pile. The problem is that grass cuttings will start to compost on their own. Composting grass clippings provide nitrogen-rich compost ‘greens.’ In this article, you’ll learn the steps in making a compost from grass cuttings. Then cover the top to keep out the rain or simply place the lid on the plastic compost bin. However, simply tossing the grass clippings into your compost pile won't work. You can add clippings to the backyard compost pile. It is also essential that you do not add too much water, as this can leave you with a mushy mess. There’s also the opportunity to get another compost bin of the same size for half price! By the time the fall comes these grass clippings should be well on the way to rotting down into compost. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In this case, you can solely use grass cuttings or combine them with other mixed green waste. Assuming your lawn has not been completely and utterly saturated in weedkillers and other chemicals, grass cuttings are great for a compost heap: they add lots of good “green” material, include valuable moisture and break down quickly. The big downside of using grass cuttings as a mulch is it encourages slugs horribly. 2) Let it rot until sufficiently broken down (say 6 months) 3) Plant stuff in pots, using your suspect compost in the pots. If there isn't, can I just put the grass with soil attached in the compost bin? Start by collecting your grass clippings. If you bag your lawn cuttings, you will be collecting them faster than they can compost. November 2018 On the pack of most lawn treatments, there is advice about whether the cuttings can be composted. Read advice from RHS to find out everything from growing your own plants, fruit & veg to winter pruning. The volume of grass cuttings during late spring and summer often exceeds the supply of other green waste to make a suitable compost mixture. Do not add any weed matter to the pile as these have the same effect as seeds, which then defeats the objective. Can Thatch and Moss be Composted After Scarifying a Lawn? Plus, it’s super easy to do! Grass decomposes very quickly producing a heat boost in the process which is great for raising the temperature when setting up your HOTBIN. Mulching is a good way to control weeds, cut down on watering needs and in the case of grass clippings slowly feed your soil and plants. How To Grow A Celosia Flower Garden This Fall Season, 17 Fall Vegetables You Should Start Planting Now. Relax and Let it Be. Compost teas are great for lawns as are items like green sand and any other Organic products both liquid or granular. In the flower beds the worms work it in and improve the soil. You may change your settings at any time. Lastly, make sure that your heap or bin is kept warm, as this will speed up the composting process. You do not really need to compost grass clippings in the first place. Avoid adding black walnut twigs, leaves and fruits. Many people simply collect as much organic material as possible when composting. Ensure that the pile is never turned and kept covered from rain. Mix the flowers with other compostable materials: if you are composting fresh flowers, mix the flowers with greens such as grass clippings, coffee grounds, vegetables, and fruits. Keep in as much heat as possible. Most homeowners quickly realize that their compost bin or system cannot … Composting is SO easy! I don't plan to compost it. So there's no better time to get composting! Before you start composting, you need to know the definition of green and brown materials. For this reason, it might be a good idea to consider other methods of composting before you start.