Grasses to grasses, debris to compost

Flower & Garden Magazine, August-Sept, 1995 by Robin Pendergrast

FINDING A WAY To RETURN yard and garden debris to the soil is the natural and sensible way to dispose of it. Grass clippings, for example, contain small amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients. Allowing them to break down in place, instead of collecting the clippings, delivers enough nitrogen over the mowing season to eliminate at least one application of fertilizer.

Transforming trimmed shrub and tree leaves and branches into mulch can also conserve ground moisture around trees, flower beds and similar areas. Mulch insulates soil from temperature extremes and, while slowly decomposing, it releases nutrients to the soil and improves soil tilth. The same mulch material, when mixed with grass clippings and composted, becomes an excellent soil amendment and growing medium.

In tune to consumer needs, outdoor power equipment manufacturers are continuing to develop new equipment to assist homeowners in effectively and efficiently handling lawn and garden waste.

MULCHING MOWERS

Mulching mowers are designed to accelerate the decomposition of grass clippings by cutting them several times before dropping them back onto the lawn. In contrast, conventional mowers discharge longer clippings that will not degrade as quickly into the lawn; bagging the clippings takes time and makes proper disposal an issue.

Mulching mowers do have limitations, however. In practice, mulching mower decks are designed to work when conditions are ideal -- when the grass is dry and when the mower trims no more than 1 inch off the grass blade. Using a mulching mower to cut long or heavy, wet grass can leave unsightly clumps of clippings behind that either have to be removed or raked evenly over the lawn surface. Manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve mulching mower performance. For example, one manufacturer has designed a mower deck with a movable deck baffle. By changing the position of the baffle, operators can speed up or slow down the mulching process. In other words, the mower operator can regulate how much time the grass clippings spend whirling through the cutting blade in the deck before they are discharged back onto the lawn.

Consumers have two basic choices when shopping for a mulching mower. You can buy a dedicated mulcher, which means the mower can only be used for one permanent function. Or, you can select a mower with a multifunctional deck that allows the user to mulch, side-discharge or bag the clippings, depending on the mowing conditions.

Mulching mowers are available with a choice of both 3- and 5-horsepower engines. Premium brand mulching mowers range in price from $250 for push models to $700 for the self-propelled units. Multifunction mulching mowers with the capability to side-discharge and bag clippings cost a little more than dedicated mulching mowers.

LEAF SHREDDERS/POWER BLOWERS

They may look like ordinary hand-held leaf vacuums or blowers, but this new genre of products features powerful shredding systems that reduce yard waste to one-twelfth its original volume. Consumers find that the leaf vacuum-shredder combinations are tremendous labor-saving devices around the yard. These tools pick up debris, shred and reduce its volume and place the end product in a convenient removable bag for easy deposit onto the compost pile or as mulch material where needed.

Hand-held blower/vacs weigh under 10 pounds. Their convenient size and portability make them ideal for homeowners with small yards or for use in cleaning up around flower beds and patios. Don't expect to clean up the entire yard with these units, however, and be warned that large twigs and branches tend to jam the shredding mechanism. These units are best used to clean up dry leaves in the fall. Expect to pay around $200 for brand-name units.

STATIONARY CHIPPER/SHREDDERS

The chipper/shredder, long used by municipalities and arborists to reduce branches and tree limbs, has gained in popularity among homeowners who are looking for alternatives to curbside disposal of yard debris. New 3-, 5- and 8-horsepower chipper/shredders are perfect for transforming branches 2 to 3 inches in diameter as well as smaller twigs and leaves into useful mulch or compost material.

As their name implies, chipper/ shredders have two primary functions. They can be used to dispatch limbs and branches in the chipping mechanism and reduce leaves and other yard debris in the shredder. Dead plant material, vines and other yard wastes are also prime candidates for shredding.

One word of caution, however: feed only organic material into the chipper/shredder. Although the unit's knives and hammers will destroy a variety of items including aluminum cans, plastic material and other such inorganic objects, these same items will cause excessive wear on the machine.

Frequently, a complaint against many stationary chipper/shredders is slow feeding and frequent jamming. The key to avoiding these situations is to select a machine with enough capacity to get the job done. Prices for stationary chipper/shredders start at about $400 for smaller capacity 3-horsepower models to $1,500 for large capacity, 8- to 10-horsepower models.