You’ve probably seen some of your friends or random people on the web using grass clippings in their garden. It’s a bit strange, to be honest, but there is a good reason for it. The secret to a green thumb isn’t just watering your plants and protecting them with chemicals. Collecting manure is just as beneficial, no matter how gross you think it is.
It’s a valuable fertilizer no money can buy. While most people opt for chemical alternatives, grass clippings are the better choice.
Why Use Grass Clippings in Your Garden?
Let’s break down what decomposed grass clippings include:
- 1% phosphorus
- 2% potassium
- 4% nitrogen
All these elements can be converted to grass fertilizer, and quite a potent one. Additionally, the microorganisms in grass clippings can thrive off these nutrients. Below you can see the various ways to use grass clippings as a fertilizer, in mulch, or as compost.
Grass Clippings as Compost
While compost is not made from grass clippings only, adding a bit of leaves and sticks will help them break down nicely. Unlike other compost, they won’t reek. The key to a great compost is using leaves or other organic waste with grass clippings in a 1:1 or at maximum a 2:1 proportion. In general, two parts of grass clippings mix well with a part of organic matter. If you’re using the compost in spring or autumn, make sure it dries up for a couple of days. The finished products should be ready in about 3 months.
A Great Mulch Element
Mulching is much better with grass clippings than a store-bought weed killer. Spread them in a layer that’s 2-3-inch-thick near the base. Thicker layer with old clippings will invite mold growth, so make sure you lay about ¼ inches thick grass clippings as mulch.
Natural Fertilizer for Your Lawn
Why buy special lawn fertilizer when grass clippings can help? Just put them on top of the grass, saving up to 25% of fertilizer consumption. Make sure the clippings are short as they break down faster. This means that when you’re cutting your grass, you should ensure to cut it shorter.
Liquid Fertilizer
Fill a bucket with 2/3 grass clippings and water for the remaining part. Close the lid and let the mix steep for 3 days. The water will extract all nutrients from the glass clippings and make them into a fantastic liquid fertilizer. One that’s 100% green, organic, and effective, to say the least.
Slow Release Fertilizer
Grass clippings are also effective as a slow release fertilizer. They have a long lasting effect, so add 2-3 inches of them into 6-inch deep soil. Their nutrients will create an eco-friendly environment that will prevent weeds from growing in your garden.
Tips and Warnings
- All the garden clippings are precious, so don’t throw them to waste. Other organic material from your garden can help for a reek-free compost
- Make sure to only use grass clippings from grass that hasn’t been treated with herbicides
Grass clippings are a great way to add organic matter to your garden and can speed up decomposition greatly and naturally.
