Recycling grass clippings indirectly improves soil structure, which means it can hold up to 12 percent more water, according to the University of Minnesota. But don’t skip fall! That’s the most important time to fertilize. Because of this added boost, the EPA says you can skip one lawn fertilization every year. When grass clippings decompose, the lawn soaks up all those nutrients, like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Honestly, it’s as simple as leaving the clippings on your lawn after mowing instead of hooking up a bag.Īnd doing this keeps your lawn healthier. Grass Clippings Compost 101: The How, Why and Ways to Compost Fast What should I do with grass clippings after mowing?Ĭomposting grass clippings is the best! You essentially do nothing.
So, if you’ve been wondering what to do with grass clippings after mowing, wonder no more! You want to compost them. Simple as that.īut did you know you can put your grass clippings to work? If you use them right, they can save you time and money while also creating a healthier lawn. Proper care of a compost pile, such as turning it regularly and keeping your greens and browns in balance, will help your keep your compost pile from smelling.If you’ve got a lawn, it needs to be mowed. Fixing this is only a matter of mixing the pile a bit better. If this occurs, the compost pile will smell like sewage or ammonia. If the green material is isolated from the brown material, it will start to decompose incorrectly and will start to give off a bad smell. Layering – Sometimes a compost pile has the right balance of green and brown material, but these materials have been put into the compost pile in layers. To fix this cause of a smelly compost pile, turn the compost and add some dry brown materials to absorb some of the moisture. Compost that is too wet will smell putrid or like rotting eggs and will look slimy, especially green material. A compost pile that gets too wet will not have enough aeration and the effect is the same as if the compost pile was compacted. This is because due to all the rain, the compost pile is too wet. Too much moisture – Often in the spring, a gardener will notice that their compost stinks. You may also want to add some “fluffy” materials like dry leaves or dry grass to help keep the pile from over-compacting again. Turn the compost pile to help get air into the compost and stop the bad smell. Compost that has too little aeration will smell putrid or like rotting eggs. If your compost pile gets compacted, the compost will start to smell. Adding brown materials like leaves, newspaper and straw will help bring your compost pile back into balance.Ĭompost pile is compacted – Compost piles need oxygen (aeration) to decompose the organic material properly. This indicates that your compost mixture of browns and greens is off balance. Too much green material – If you have too much green material in your compost pile, it will smell like sewage or ammonia. Here are some fixes to some common issues.
Grass clippings in compost how to#
How to Stop Compost SmellingĪt the heart of it, stopping your compost from smelling comes down to fixing what is making it smell. Things like too many greens (nitrogen material), too little aeration, too much moisture and not being mixed well can cause a compost pile to smell badly. The steps to composting are designed to help break down your organic material faster and, a side effect of this is, to stop compost from smelling bad. If your compost smells bad, this is an indication that something in the balance of your compost pile is off. This will reduce the smell of composting manure considerably. If you wish to suppress the smell of composting manure, you can cover the pile with 6-12 inches (15-30 cm.) of straw, leaves or newspaper. This will commonly smell until the manure breaks down. There is one exception to this rule and that is if you are composting manure in your compost pile. Compost should smell like dirt and if it does not, there is something wrong and your compost pile is not properly heating up and breaking down the organic material. Does Compost Smell?Ī properly balanced compost pile should not smell bad. This leads many gardeners to wonder, “Why does compost smell?” and, more importantly, “How to stop compost smelling?” When your compost stinks, you have options. While compost for the garden is wonderful, a compost pile can occasionally get a little smelly.
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