The Many Reasons Why Grass Clippings are Great
Did you know that grass clippings can help you conserve water? If you're used to throwing away these little parcels of nutrients, then you may be surprised to find out how clippings can work with your Burlington inground irrigation services to keep your lawn fed. Read on to uncover the secret behind this technique.
Recycling Nutrients With the Clippings
Those clippings that you've been tossing are actually made up of a treasury of good things for your lawn. They are made up almost entirely of water and nutrients. So, when left on your lawn, the clippings decompose, and release nutrients and water back into the soil. Also because they take time to decompose, the clippings act as a slow-release fertilizer to work alongside the efforts of your Burlington inground irrigation services.
Use Proper Mowing Techniques
To ensure the clippings can act like the little irrigation and fertilization systems that they are, you need to make sure you mow the lawn properly. Never mow the lawn just after your Burlington inground irrigation services have run – you want to mow the lawn when it is dry to avoid diseases, help out decomposition, and avoid allowing wet, heavy clippings to sit on the lawn.
Next, make sure your mower's blades are sharp so that you aren't tearing the leaves of grass. Finally, only cut 1/3 of the blade of grass. A lawn that is too short won't be able to lock in the water from your Burlington inground irrigation services, and you'll find yourself having to water more than would be necessary if your grass were a little bit longer.
Use in Compost and Mulch
If you're not completely sold on the thought of leaving your clippings on your lawn, then use them for mulch and compost. Some homeowners find clippings to be an unsightly addition to a lawn; so instead, they'll combine these clippings with other fertilizers. The grass can make a great contribution in nutrients to your flowerbeds, vegetable gardens, and other areas where you'd add mulch or compost.
One warning: avoid seedlings and new plants. Younger plants won't be able to withstand the heat build up that comes with grass clippings. If you have a lot of young plants, it may be smart to make two separate piles of mulch or compost – one with grass and the other without. Or, hold off on adding grass clippings until the baby plants have grown to a reasonable size.
Other ways to Conserve Water
Clippings are a great way to conserve water by keeping your grass fed throughout the span of time that it takes for the grass to break down. However, there are a few other things you can do so that valuable water doesn't go to waste.
Rain barrels are easy, work-free ways to grab on to water that would normally go down the gutter. You can use rain barrel water to feed your flowerbeds and gardens, to give your Burlington inground irrigation services a bit of a break.
Set up your Burlington inground irrigation services properly so that they run in the early morning, and water your lawn deeply. You can also make sure your system has a rain sensor, so that your lawn isn't getting watered twice in one day.
Don't let your lawn go without the best Burlington inground irrigation services. Contact Nutri-Lawn for your complimentary quote today!