You Could Be Making This Crucial Mistake When Mowing Your Lawn In Cold Weather

Everyone wants to have a gorgeous, enviable green yard when summer comes around. Unfortunately, there are many ways people kill their grass without knowing it. If you want the perfect yard, you will need to put in the work, including learning the best methods to care for your lawn. While mulching your lawn clippings is generally a good idea, there are other situations when you should consider bagging the clippings. Many people already know that collecting clippings when the grass is wet or extremely tall can avoid overwhelming the yard with thatch, but there is another crucial time when bagging is the better choice. If you mow the lawn when temperatures dip toward freezing, you may also want to avoid mulching your grass clippings to protect your lawn from damage.

When temperatures are below about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, microbes in the soil are less active, so they're not as efficient at breaking down clippings. If those tiny pieces of grass don't decompose quickly, you're left with a layer of dead grass that can suffocate your turf's roots. The lawn clippings will still break down over time, but since it will take longer, it can lead to dead spots in your yard.

Because microbes don't completely stop working to decompose grass clippings, you can still mulch mow your grass when it gets cooler, just make sure your acquainted with the right length to mow your lawn. The more surface area microorganisms can access will help facilitate breakdown, even in cooler conditions. If you do not want to collect your clippings, avoid letting your lawn get too tall and use a mulching mower that cuts grass into smaller pieces. 

When you do opt to bag your grass, there are ways to repurpose lawn clippings for a healthier yard and garden. Depending on where you live, you may have to put your clippings in the garbage. But, when possible, try to find a way to reuse cut grass around your home or yard. They can be incorporated into mulch around your garden, and they make a valuable addition to a compost bin. So, when you do need to bag your grass clippings, you can still put it to good use.