When Do You Use a Bag With a Mulcher Mower?

Avoiding Thatch

• While allowing scattered grass clippings to break down on a lawn provides natural mulch, soil additive and moisture control, clumps of dried grass — known as thatch — may create small pockets of rot, disease or even dead lawn. For homeowners with this problem, use a bag to collect clippings every second or third mowing. Also, avoid mowing when the lawn is wet, as this allows grass to clump easily.

Collecting Mulch

• The collected grass clippings may be used as mulch for flowerbeds, gardens or around trees and shrubs. You may also lay clippings down over newly sown grass seed in lieu of straw. In fall, running the mower with the bag attached over fallen leaves saves time otherwise spent raking. The leaves are collected in the bag and mulched in the process. They may then be used as mulch to protect plants during the colder months, eliminating the need to purchase mulch or straw.

Making Compost

• Composting is the process of mixing various biodegradable materials such as grass clippings, kitchen scraps and newspaper into a pile or container. As the interior of the pile heats, it begins to break down into rich compost, which may be added to gardens, flowerbeds, houseplants, or around landscaping plants to improve the soil and provide natural fertilizer. Bagged mulched grass clippings may be added to the compost pile.

Creating Paths

• Grass clippings may be collected and laid out as a walking path in larger gardens and flowerbeds instead of using purchased stepping stones. Such a path can help prevent muddied shoes. Several newspaper layers or cardboard may be placed beneath the clippings to control weeds.