The Grass Doctor

Is it better to mulch grass or to use regular blades and blow the grass out the side chute?

I own a John Deere Z225 mower with a mulching kit and mulching blades. I mow 6 to 8 lawns a week and lately I've had a lot of problems with the cutting quality. I've had to mow over the grass twice because it's so long and afterwards there are still clumps. Is it better to take off the mulching deck and blow the grass out the side chute of the mower or will this make an even bigger mess? I'm tired of going over the grass twice. Also, if I were to take off the mulching kit, would I put the regular blades on?

Public Comments

1. mulch because its better for your yard
2. mulching is much better and so much easier
3. Sounds like the blade may be dull. You may want to replace it or have it sharpened. They sell a sharpener for mower blades that goes on a drill and it works well. Clean the underside of the deck well and spray a non-stick cooking spray all over it. Scotch Guard works as well. If bagging is an option, that is best. It eliminates the clippings and doesn't suffocate the lawn.
4. Mulching only works if the grass isn't too long. If it is too long you are going to have clumps either way.
5. i agree with every thing that "RonniewithanR" stated except bagging the grass. Mulching provides fertilizer to the earth and it replaces what the grass has used. Blowing the grass clippings out the side will make a mess and might pile up in rows as you mow making you have to rake to make it look nice again.
6. My Father use to bag 1 acre of grass. It was nice cause he used the clippings around plants and looked really nice. He believed the yard would thatch up if he didn't bag it. It was a lot of work tho and the yard took him like 2 days. We now mow the grass and it takes us a few hours and use the mulching blade for a couple of years now and the grass looks really good but I think it looked even better when he did the yard. He was extremely meticulous.
7. The beauty of mulching is that you don't usually have to do any raking or clean-up. And also you are blasting the chopped up nutrients back into the lawn. If you are having to go back over the lawn twice, it sounds as if your blades are not sharp enough and maybe you are not mowing often enough. I always make sure my blades are sharpened - I do it myself - because there is nothing more frustrating than trying to mow with dull blades. I mow 8 lawns and sharpen my blades at least once a week. I don't mow my lawns once a week ; I mow when needed, weather permitting, and try not to let the grass get ahead of me. Another thing, make sure that the underside of your deck is kept clean. Blow out any accumulated clippings with a hose as often as needed ; preferably when the clippings are still "fresh". I would never go back to side discharge. Too often you have to rake and dispose of the clippings. This is not only time consuming and a pain in the neck , it also robs the lawn of good nutrients. If you take off the mulching kit , you can leave the mulching blades on. They work fine. Hope this helps you out !