Should you bag your clippings while cutting the grass?

To bag or not to bag?

There are 10 million different articles on the Internet that focus on weather or not to bag you clippings while cutting your grass. In one corner, you have those that say if your grass clippings are bagged, you are keeping important nutrients from your grass that helps it grow. Others will tell you that they hate cleaning there patios, walkways and driveways  after every cut (including myself), so therefore they bag. No matter what group you belong to, we are going to look at whether or not bagging is ok while keeping that perfectly manicured lawn, or if you should it is the bag and mulch, mulch, mulch.

Everyone wants that beautiful, lush, golf course looking lawn, but becoming the envy of the neighborhood takes more that just bagging or not bagging you clippings. Every decision you make when planning your yearly lawn care schedule counts.

Every year I apply about a tone of fertilizer that would probably level my neighborhood if someone struck a match next to it. I love those dark green blades of luscious grass that almost look fake from a distance, but I need to cut at least twice a week, or it starts growing out if control. Even if I cut twice a week, the grass is so full, that I end up with clippings everywhere. That being said, I will spend another hour cleaning off by driveway and other walk areas which I really don't like.

I decided to get a bagger for the back of my mower to help solve this problem, but as soon as I hooked it up, my neighbor started sprinting across his yard like his hair was on fire yelling "what the hell are you doing?" My neighbor is one of those guys who does everything but sings to his grass just to get it to grow better, but he was somewhat irritated when he seen the two giant bags on the back of my tractor. " don't you know that bagging takes away important nutrients that your grass needs to grow" he yells!


Now... as much as I hate to admit it, his blind rage rant did hold water. When you mulch you grass (not using the side shoot), the decaying grass releases nitrogen back into the lawn feeding it naturally. Think of your garden when you add compost, and how much better your plants grow with than without. Even with that solid fact, I fertilize four to five times times per year, so that little bit of o-natural fertilizer won't do much more for the grass. With the application's of industrial fertilizer, my lawn gets plenty of nutrients, plus I ensure my lawn gets at least 1" of water per week, so no worries there.

Pros and cons of using a bagger.

So my stance on using a bagger after feeding your lawn with fertilizer is fine as it is already getting what it needs to thrive. Not to mention no more worries about the mess left to clean after mowing.

As with anything, there are always negatives that come with the positives. Though using a bagger is a great way to keep you lawn look like you just vacuumed it with a sweeper, I feel there a more downsides to using a bagger.

The first involves the sheer p.i.t.a it is to use them. I have two bags on my bagger, but it seems that I am constantly getting on an off my tractor to either empty them, or unclog them. Though my thighs are looking great, it really does require some extra effort using it.

The second issue is trying to figure out what to do with all the left over clippings that you accumulate while cutting. Even if you have less than a acre of land, you will eventually start building mound after mound of dead grass that not only begins to stinks after a while, but will invite misquotes and other Vermont's. so, unless you have an field or a few cows, you are going to have one very unhappy garbage man.

The third issue that some may have is something that we already mentioned above, and that is naturally feeding your lawn. Many homeowners do not want to use industrial fertilizers as they may not be the best for the environment. If this is you, then you will need as much nitrogen that you can get from these clippings. If you bag them and toss them out with the trash, you will be depriving you lawn of the nutrients it needs to grow.

The biggest problem with baggers.

Last but not least, the third and most irritating issue.... the clog. If your grass is thick, or even a bit damp, be prepared to take you bagger apart every five minutes to clean out the concrete hardened grass buildup that always happens near the front of the shoot where it connects to the side discharge. The connection pieces that hook to this discharge is usually very thing, so damp grass, or even to much grass can get jammed in this area as its just to heavy to get pushed up and into the bags.

The only time that I don't encounter jams/clogs is in the Middle of summer when the grass is extremely dry and thinned out a bit from the heat. That being said, if your planning on using a bagger in the spring and/or fall, be prepared to do a lot of ranting and raving.

So there you have it. Even though bagging your grass won't really hurt it while regularly feeding it, there just a real pain to use. My bagger alone ran me $400.00, but I have a hard time justifying the price as its just a pain to use.

If you are one of those home owners that hates to see a single blade of grass on your driveway, then maybe a bagger is the way to go, but for me, mulching is still my #1 choice.