Photo via flickr courtesy of hummyhummy.
Finally an afternoon in Denver where it might not rain, yay! I am sitting with my french doors open to the backyard, watching two sets of birds who are nesting in the eaves of my back patio go back and forth from my super-green lawn to their hungry little chicks (are all baby birds called chicks?).
Anyway, they are finding some nice, fat worms to nourish their littles...and every time they go a bit nuts, cheeping and chirping to be fed.I have to admit, though...we still have not gotten around to mowing our grass for the first time this year. Luckily, we do have less grass than before -- with a new chicken run dedicated to our backyard beauties, and a new plum tree in the side yard, we are slowly doing away with the water-wasting grass, but there is still a big enough space to require a mower...and it's in severe need of a trim.
Which is why I feel the need to share this info from the City of Denver website.
I always shudder to see bags and bags of what is obviously nutrient filled grass and leaves sitting on the curb on trash day. Why?!
Lose the Bagand Leave the Grass Clippings on the Lawn! Mulchinggrass clippings rather than bagging them is the natural way to a beautiful lawn.
CalledGrasscycling, more and more residents are choosing to recycle the natural way and leave their grass trimmings on their lawns. Doing so helps enrich the soil beneath your lawn, becauseclippings decay rapidly and return valuable nutrients andwater to the soil without any additional costs to you.
Why GrassCycle?
MAKE LESS TRASH - Up to 37% of what Denver residents put in the trash during the growing season is yard waste which is predominantly grass clippings. You can significantly reduce your spring and summer waste just by Grasscycling.
ENJOY A HEALTHIER LAWN - GrassCycling is an easy way to a healthy lawn and a great way to recycle valuable nutrients for free. Clippings break down quickly and slowly release nutrients like Nitrogen back into the soil beneath your lawn.
SAVE WATER - Grass clippings left on your lawn will shade grass roots and help keep the soil cool. And because grass clippings are made up of more than 80% water, they return valuable moisture to the soil which means less watering for you to do.
REDUCE YOUR WORK - GrassCycling can drastically reduce the time you spend on lawn care by saving you from the hassle of bagging, raking and disposing of grass clippings.
SAVE MONEY - GrassCycling reduces the amount the City must spend to collect, haul and landfill grass clippings.
Click Here to Download GrassCycleflyer (449 KB)
Give Grasscycling a try and follow these tips:
Mow lawn when dry.
Keepmower blades sharp.
Followthe 1/3 Rule.
Mowlawn often enough, sono more than 1/3 of the length of the grass blade is cut and left on the lawn. Lawns are most healthy when mowedto aheight of2 to 3 inches.
No special mower is needed. GrassCycle with any mower. Remove mower collection bag to allow clippings to drop on the lawn. If your mower does not have a safety flap covering the opening where the bag fits into the chute, then it is important that you purchase a retrofit kit from your hardware store.
If you use a landscape service, ask them to leave your clippings on your lawn.
OK, no more excuses, I'm off to try and start the lawnmower...
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