When you cut grass in your lawn or garden, you will end up with tons of grass clippings. But if you want to dump the junk, your refuse collector might not want to take the grass.
With this in mind, you might have to dispose of the clippings by yourself. If you have problems with this task, you can use our tips to get rid of the mess.
Ways to Dispose of Grass Clippings
Here are some simple ways to clear grass clippings from your property. Luckily, these tasks do not involve much work.
1. Compost the Grass Clippings
If you are looking for a good way to treat your grass clippings, try composting the grass clippings. Apart from using the product as a fertilizer, you can use it to reduce most of the waste. Use the following steps to compost grass clippings.
- Gather the clippings in a bag or a corner of the yard.
- Place the grass in a high stack. Ensure that the height of the stack is the same as its width.
- Add some sawdust, paper, cardboard, twigs, or leaves to the pile. You can also add corn cobs or pine needles. Known as browning ingredients, these items can speed up the production of the compost.
- Wait for the grass to dry out
- Add some water to the pile. Instead of drenching the compost, sprinkle some water on the compost.
- Insert a pitchfork into the center of the grass pile. Then flip the compost to the space near the pile.
- Use a waterproof tarp to cover the pile. If you don’t want to use this method, try spreading the grass in the yard.
- Expect the compost to be ready within 4 – 8 weeks.
2. Make a Compost without a Pile
If you don’t want to place the compost in a pile, you can simply leave the grass in the soil. To use this method, here are the best steps.
- Cut the grass with a mulching mower but do not use the bag.
- Leave the clippings on the ground and allow them to break down.
3. Mix the Grass Clippings with the Soil
- You can also skip the compost pile and mix the clippings with the soil.
- Get a rake and spread the grass on the ground.
- Grab a rake and work the grass into the upper part of the ground. A soil height of eight inches is enough to mix the grass.
4. Donate the Grass Clippings
Do you have a large number of farmers in your area? If yes, you can ring them up and donate the grass clippings to them. However, this method suits larger quantities of grass.
To donate grass clippings
- Search for the farming associations or groups in your area.
- Send them a message asking if they would like a donation of fresh grass.
- Wait for a reply. Even if they don’t need the items, they might advise you on how to get rid of the grass.
5. Keep It in the Trash
Some garbage collection companies can handle the trash that contains grass clippings. If your collector offers such services, you can just clip the grass and dump it in the trash. But since you cannot put grass in a traditional garbage can, request something that suits such items.
6. Bed Your Flower Pots
In the summer, your flower pots might run out of moisture. To deal with such loss, try using your grass clippings. Besides, you can use the material to enrich the soil in the container.
- Head to the flower pot or container.
- Add at least a quarter-inch of grass clippings to the soil.
- Ensure that you don’t have too much grass in the container.
7. Feed Your Fish
Grass clippings are important materials for feeding young fry. If you want to use grass to feed fish, you will have to turn the clippings into “green water”. Now here are the steps that will help with this task.
- Fill a clean gallon with water
- Place fresh clippings into a mesh bag
- Keep the barrel in the sunlight
- Supply air to the barrel with an aquarium air pump.
- Leave the barrel for a week and get green water for use.
- Replenish the water with fresh grass clippings and freshwater
8. Make Some Liquid Fertilizer
Have you heard of liquid fertilizers? Well, these products can improve the quality of your plants.
- Fill a bucket with untreated water. Instead of using any size bucket, look for something that can take 5- gallons of water.
- Grab some grass clippings and throw them into the water. Repeat this step at least four more times.
- Place the bucket in a shaded area.
- Leave the buckets for two weeks.
- Fill a cup with the resulting liquid and pour it into a watering can.
- Use the can to sprinkle the plants.
9. Turn It to Dye
Grass clippings also serve as sources of clothing dye. Luckily, this dye works with several articles of clothing. Below are steps for producing dye with grass clippings
- Soak some grass in a ceramic pot.
- Ensure the water is soaked with the grass
- Boil the grass and water combo.
- Strain the final product.
- Use it to dye your preferred product.
10. Hand it Over to a Flower Shop or Store
Some businesses might need your grass clippings. For this reason, you should ask your local gardening stores if they need the grass. Normally, such places use clippings for mulch or fertilizers.
Wrapping Up
There are many ways to dispose of grass clippings. You can compost it, use it as fish food or turn it into a fertilizer. You might even use it as a way to trap moisture.
If you don’t want to use the grass clippings, you can also donate the materials to any farming group. For companies that allow organic waste, dump the grass clippings in the trash.
As you use grass in a container, cover the pot with mesh. After all soaked items tend to attract mosquitoes. So when you cover such pots, you should not worry about these pests.
