Grasscycling is the term used for returning lawn clippings to the soil, rather than bagging and disposing of them. With the lawn mowing season underway, this is a good time to consider the benefits of grasscycling.

A recent issue of a turfgrass and landscape newsletter called "Co-Hort" pointed out that one of the most important benefits of grasscycling is that it helps to reduce the solid wastes going to landfills, and helps to reach the goals of the California's Integrated Waste Management Act. This act mandates a 50 percent reduction in waste that each county and city send to landfills by the year 2000, using 1990 as the base year. According to UC turfgrass researchers, homeowner grasscycling could reduce California's urban solid waste by 5 to 10 percent. That would be a significant drop, since 20 percent of solid waste dumped in landfills is estimated to be yard (green) waste.

Grasscycling has been practiced by some parks and golf courses for years, but homeowners who want a manicured lawn usually bag their lawn clippings, which then end up in a landfill. Where an exceptionally uniform grass surface is required, such as in putting greens, sod farms, major league sports fields and other athletic fields, grasscycling is not a recommended practice. However, grasscycling is practical for most home lawns, and offers the following environmental and financial benefits:

Saves time and energy. No need to remove, bag or haul clippings.

Saves landfill space.

Properly done, encourages a healthier grass stand. Decomposing clippings release nutrients to the soil and may enhance soil microbial activity.

Saves money. The need for nitrogen fertilizer can be reduced by 20-30 percent, due to nitrogen returned to the soil from decomposing clippings.

Grasscycling is possible with any type of mower, but the most effective are the mulching (also called recycling) mowers. Such mowers have an enclosed housing where clippings are reduced in size and chipped to fine debris before discharge beneath the mower. The smaller size clippings produced by a mulching mower decompose more rapidly than clippings produced by a conventional lawn mower. Mulching mowers produce a more manicured effect when used in a grasscycling mowing program.

Once-a-week mowing is frequent enough for successful grasscycling as long as you observe the "1/3 rule," which is, lawn should be mowed often enough that no more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade is cut in any one mowing. Using the rule, the short clippings will fall through the canopy to decompose and will not cover the lawn surface. Done properly, grasscycling does not contribute to a thatch buildup.