Should I Bag My Grass Clippings if I Have Weeds?

Mowing your lawn on a regular basis is an essential part of home maintenance. Cutting the grass on a consistent schedule will keep the roots healthy and it will also look good. But mower discharge can cause weeds to spread. Which brings us to the following question: should I bag my grass clippings if I have weeds?

You should consider bagging grass clippings in order to stop the spread of weeds. Weeds are inevitable and they will pop up when the grass is most active. Bagging them each time you mow will prevent the seeds from landing on other parts of your lawn and turning into new weeds.

What is Bagging?

Bagging grass is one of the safest methods when it comes to lawn maintenance. This grass catcher gets attached to the side, or back of your mower. As you pass over each section of your lawn the blades push all of the grass clippings into the bagger.

This prevents the freshly cut grass from landing back on to your lawn. Although small amounts of grass clippings can help your lawn by providing vital nutrients, too many can be harmful.

Grass that is too tall will stay on the surface and prevent sunlight and moisture from reaching the soil. As a result, your grass won’t have what it needs to grow healthy and could become brown and die.

Should I Bag My Grass Clippings if I Have Weeds?

So, should I bag my grass clippings if I have weeds? If you want to have a well-maintained lawn, you should absolutely bag your grass clippings. This device will catch anything you drive over with the mower when in use.

Any weed seeds that get discharged from the mower can land on other areas and create new growth. It doesn’t matter if you direct the mower away from your lawn, as mowers have the power of shooting seeds up to 15 feet away.

But weeds can also get stuck on the underside of your lawn mower. When you are cutting your lawn parts of the plant can fall to the surface and germinate in the grass. This will speed up the weed growing process, which is why it’s so important to use a bagger.

How to Bag Grass Clippings

1. Remove Debris

Before firing up your lawn mower, it’s important to move any debris on the lawn. You need to pick up any sticks, twigs, leaves, and pine needles from the area. Large sticks can actually cause damage to your mower and bagger, which is why it’s a good idea to remove these debris in the first place.

You should also move any lawn furniture, garden tools, and children’s toys from your lawn. These items will not only get in your way, but you don’t want to damage them in the mowing process. A lawn will never look its best when you need to mow around objects, because the grass will be at different heights.

2. Mow the Lawn

Once your lawn is free of any surface debris, you can begin the mowing process. Make sure your bag is securely attached to the mower deck. It can be dangerous if this device is rattling, or shaking when in use. You can mow the lawn like you normally would with a bag, but you don’t have to worry about making a mess from the clippings.

You know what I’m talking about if you have ever mowed a lawn without a bagger. It’s important to avoid pointing the discharge at walkways, patios, and other areas around the house that need to stay clean. But you won’t have this problem with a bagger, as you can direct the lawn mower in any direction you like.

3. Throw Away Clippings

Now that your lawn is cut and free of all lawn clippings, you’re probably wondering how to dispose of them. There are a handful of different ways you can get rid of those unwanted lawn clippings. One of the easiest ways is to throw them away. This can be useful if you have no need for them, just check with your trash company first to see if they allow it.

Another option is to compost lawn clippings. Grass is high in nitrogen and can help your garden grow healthy by using them as compost. You could also donate your grass clippings to a local farm or gardening business. These places will gladly take them, as they can turn the clippings into useful mulch. It all depends on how you want to dispose of them.

How Bagging Helps

Using a bag to catch your grass clippings is the best all around choice when it comes to mowing. Having this attachment allows you to cut the grass in all conditions, regardless of the weather.

Normally you would have to avoid mowing wet grass because it places more stress on the mower when running over wet clippings. But a bag will hold all of the discharge and keep them off the lawn.

A bag will also help remove any surface debris from the ground, which can be very useful in the fall. You won’t have to deal with using a leaf blower, or raking leaves to keep your yard clean.

But you can also mow faster, as you won’t have to worry about any grass clippings slowing you down. Without a bag, clippings can build up and you would normally have to go over the grass with multiple passes.

Downsides of Bagging

One of the biggest downsides when it comes to using a bag attachment is the amount of grass clippings. This can add another annoying task to your lawn maintenance schedule, as you will now need to find how to dispose of them.

For large yards, you can probably find a place far away from your house to dump them and make a compost pile. But the majority of homeowners have smaller lawns and they don’t have this luxury.

If you have found yourself running into this problem, the options are storing the clippings in a waste container, donating them, or taking them to a nearby disposal sight.

Just keep in mind that when you compost clippings, make sure to keep them far away from the house. Old grass is known to create a strong rotten eggs scent. And your neighbors won’t like you very much if they have to smell this.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped answer your question: should I bag my grass clippings if I have weeds? You should bag the clippings, because the lawn mower can throw discharge up to 15 feet away.

The bad news is that weed seeds can by mixed in with your grass and they will land on other areas of your yard. As a result, new weeds will grow and they will spread across the grass rapidly. All of this can be prevented by attaching a bag to your lawn mower.

Further Reading

• Is Dethatching the Same as Aerating?

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