How To Make Grass Clipping 'Tea' To Nourish Your Plants

Yard work can take up the entire day when you're pulling out weeds, mowing the lawn, spraying down the patio, and trimming down bushes. Even though you're rewarded with a fresh and clean yard, you still have to clean up the mess, like putting away machines and figuring out what to do with all your grass clippings. While many people just throw them in the trash, have you ever considered reusing your grass clippings in your garden? For example, you can easily turn grass clippings into tea to use around the yard. The tea takes minutes to make but a couple of weeks to brew. All you need to do is combine water and grass clippings in a bucket and let it steep.  

Reusing grass clippings helps reduce the amount that gets sent to the landfill. Some cities in states like Sacramento, California, have transfer stations combining all of the green waste they've collected; residents can pick up waste bags for free to use in their yards. However, if the grass clippings get sent to the landfill, they'll release methane gas as they decompose. Recycling your grass clippings into a tea is beneficial for both the environment and your yard.

Before you start this concoction, ensure you're using grass clippings that haven't been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides to avoid causing harm to your healthy plants. You'll need a bucket, grass clippings, water, and plastic wrap. Start by filling up one-third of your bucket with grass clippings. Then, fill the rest of the bucket with water and give it a mix. Cover the top of the bucket with plastic wrap or an unused towel. You'll want to place the bucket in a secluded area, like a shed or garage, where it's dark and has a cool temperature. 

Covering the top will limit the smell and also prevents bugs from getting into the mixture. Leave the bucket for two weeks for it to brew, stirring the contents every day. Once the tea is ready, you'll be able to add it to your lawn and garden — fill your watering can with tea and fresh water, and start watering. You can also use the leftover grass clippings in your soil to give your plants an extra boost of nutrients. 

Grass clippings hold many nutrients that your plants and lawn can benefit from. They contain nitrogen and potassium,  which help grass to grow and stay healthy. According to Mosaic, nitrogen is part chlorophyll that plants use to turn sunlight into energy, and it's part amino acids, which are the proteins plants need to grow. In addition, a lack of potassium in plants can impede their growth since it helps move water, carbohydrates, and nutrients throughout the plant. Recycling grass clippings reduces the amount of fertilizer you need, and since you continuously mow your lawn, you'll never run out of natural fertilizer for your yard.

In addition, the organic matter will help improve clay, sandy, and minimal organic matter soil. Using grass-clipping tea on your lawn will also help reduce thatch, since thatch is created when the grass isn't often mowed, too much nitrogen fertilization is applied, or oxygen isn't reaching the soil. Moreover, frequently mowing your lawn also reduces the number of trimmings you collect when you're done mowing.