Grass mulch

andrew.pidgley5 · September 2020

I have recently renovated my lawn and have a huge pile of thatch waste.Could I dig this into beds as compost.

Fairygirl · September 2020

If you don't have a compost bin to put it in, I wouldn't dig it into borders, but you could lay it under a layer of soil to let it rot down, or bag it up and let it rot down a bit to use as a mulch, or as a base in large pots.

I've never been keen on that sort of stuff being used as a mulch, but many people do use it. Grass of any kind has a habit of becoming a solid slimy mass if conditions are wet.

Hostafan1 · September 2020

I know folk who swear by grass clippings as a mulch around bamboos, but I've tried it . I add it the compost bins bit by bit

josusa47 · September 2020

I had a lot of cut grass, mostly dried out but with some moisture left. No room in the compost bins, but I had a cubic metre bag and lots of corrugated cardboard, so I layered it in the bag, finishing with a layer of cardboard and leaving it open to the elements. About six weeks ago, so too soon to know how it will turn out. Watch this space.

nick615 · September 2020

I suppose the heat it generates can have a negative effect in some cases but, at the end of the day, it's all vegetable matter and will add something to the soil. Some years ago I had a sizeable bed of Curly Kale so, to hamper weed growth, I spread liberal quantities all around it. No weeds and I dug it in when I got rid of the Kale. I also use as much as I can in my runner bean pit to aid moisture retention.

Wilderbeast · September 2020

I use grass clippings around the base of my trees to keep weeds at bay apart from looking like giant grass Donuts (which Mrs Wilderbeast hates) it works well and it is gone by spring

Dovefromabove · September 2020

I think grass clippings are one thing and thatch is something else .., thatch will have been raked out of the ‘base’ of the grass and may contain some roots/rootlets.

Certainly some of the stuff my electric lawn rake pulls out has some rootlets.

I’d want to rot that down thoroughly before spreading it as a mulch.

Hostafan1 · September 2020

Dovefromabove said:

I think grass clippings are one thing and thatch is something else .., thatch will have been raked out of the ‘base’ of the grass and may contain some roots/rootlets.

Certainly some of the stuff my electric lawn rake pulls out has some rootlets.

I’d want to rot that down thoroughly before spreading it as a mulch.

Good point.

Fairygirl · September 2020

I'd agree - I only do it occasionally, and with a hand rake, and it has bits with roots. That's why I wouldn't want to just mix it through either.
Underneath a good layer of soil [which was my suggestion] would be no different to putting turf under a good layer, if there's no compost bin or similar.
IMO, it's either that, or keeping it separate and bagged until it's inert

JennyJ · September 2020

I find that thatch takes ages to compost (mine is mostly strawy rooty stuff and bits of moss), so if I have a lot some of it goes in the council green bin. I don't use it as mulch myself because it would look messy and would probably blow around.

Grass mulch

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