Mowing the lawn or mulching the lawn: which is better?

A well-groomed lawn needs regular trimming. But which is actually better: mowing the lawn or mulching it? We compare both methods.

The question of whether it is better to mow or mulch your lawn triggers heated discussions among many hobby gardeners. Some are merciless advocates of mulching, others never have and will never try it. Prejudices often play a major role in these discussions. Some only know mowing, others only mulching. Right at the beginning we can tell you one thing: you cannot recommend one or the other in general. Depending on the lawn, location and soil conditions, mulching or mowing may make more sense. We objectively look at the pros and cons of both methods.

Mowing the lawn: advantages and disadvantages

In general, what is meant by Cut the lawn the shortening of the lawn with the help of a lawnmower, in which the lawn clippings are caught and collected in an attached grass catcher.

Advantage or disadvantage: disposal of the lawn clippings

Disposing of the lawn clippings can be done quickly and easily in small villages where the public compost heap is just around the corner. In this case, disposal would definitely not be a reason to decide against mowing the lawn. Increasingly, however, there is a decline in the number of shared composting sites in municipalities, so that the transport route can be significantly longer and more complex. This argument for mowing the lawn with a basket is therefore not generally valid.

Disadvantage: loss of nutrients

Another disadvantage of mowing the lawn, which is important from an ecological point of view, is the loss of nutrients collected in the grass. As the lawn grows, nutrients are drawn from the soil. If you can't imagine how many nutrients grass contains, just think of a cow that theoretically lives alone live on cut grass (plus the help of rumen microbes) and even produce small amounts of milk from it can. If the mowed lawn clippings are disposed of, many of the nutrients contained in the cut grass are lost to the lawn and the soil and can only be replaced by fertilizer. It makes the most ecological sense to save on the transport route when disposing of the lawn clippings and at the same time to reduce the transport for purchased fertilizer by improving the nutrient cycle in your own garden closes. If you don't want to mulch the lawn, you can compost the grass clippings yourself on a compost heap and then use the fertilizer in the form of compost for flowers or vegetables.

Advantage: Clean appearance of the lawn

A visual advantage of mowing is, of course, that it always looks clean when freshly cut. After mulching, it takes a day or two before the mulched lawn clippings are no longer visible. However, if you already argue with the optical component, you should also consider that the mulched lawn has a significantly greener and healthier color due to the better supply of nutrients.

Advantage: less time expenditure

The biggest advantage of mowing and at the same time the most important reason against mulching is the frequency of these two measures. Anyone who mows will probably have to spend a little less time on the lawn, since the lawn is allowed to grow a little longer between two mowings than with mulching.

per mowing	Against mowing
Lower frequency	nutrients are lost
Lawn looks "clean".	Mowed lawn must also be fertilized
Lawn clippings can be composted and used as fertilizer for flowers.	Mulch provides nutrients to the soil (like a fertilizer), improves soil life and soil structure
More useful in certain soil conditions (see mulch)	Less drought resistant in summer
Grass clippings must be disposed of

Mulching the lawn: advantages and disadvantages

From the lawn mulching is spoken when the lawn is cut with a special mulching mower. This device does not have a grass catcher, but shreds the cut grass and then spreads it over the mown lawn as "mulch".
This method is becoming increasingly popular. On the one hand, because it becomes more difficult or takes longer for many people to transport the lawn clippings to a public composting site. Furthermore, because the ecological awareness of this method is probably increasing.

Advantage: Lawn and soil benefit from the nutrient return

For lawn, soil and nature, mulching is definitely the best form of lawn clippings. The nutrients bound in the lawn clippings remain where they came from. The mineralization of the lawn clippings, i.e. their rotting, promotes soil life. Mulching has a similar effect on the soil as fertilizing with compost. The nutrients contained in the lawn clippings slowly become available again for the soil and lawn. Just like compost, mulching improves the soil structure in the long term and allows the soil to dry out less quickly in midsummer. Mulch can only be compared to commercial fertilizer to a limited extent. Both forms of fertilizer provide nutrients for the lawn. However, mulch is much more valuable for the soil, and thus also for the lawn and its roots.

Disadvantage: more time

Unfortunately, there is a catch to this seemingly wonderful mulching method. The principle of mulching only works if the lawn is not covered with mulch. The result is that the lawn does not receive enough light, the mulch rots poorly and the lawn literally suffocates. Therefore, the lawn must already be mulched as soon as 2 to 3 cm of lawn clippings accumulate. If you want to mow the lawn to a depth of 5 cm, you have to mow it when it is seven to a maximum of 8 cm long. That means getting out the mulching mower once a week on average.

Disadvantage: Not suitable for every location

Locations that naturally tend to develop moss and thatch due to poor soil conditions are unfortunately less suitable for mulching. These include heavy, poorly draining soil, shady or rainy locations, or at worst a combination of these factors. For these locations, mulching is not fundamentally ruled out, but a cut of a maximum of 2 cm would have to be carried out very consistently and only in dry conditions. Otherwise the risk of poor rotting of the mulch and the resulting promotion of moss and lawn thatch is too great.

Likewise, mowing may be preferable to mulching on very sandy soils. In sandy soils, the soil organisms responsible for mulching are less active. Mulching does not work well, especially in dry regions with sandy soils, which are often very dry in summer.
In those disadvantaged locations, there is an in-house compost on which the lawn clippings or part of it is given, perhaps the better and easier way, an in-garden nutrient cycle build up.

Per mulch	Against mulching
Closed nutrient cycle	It needs to be mulched more often than mowed
Less fertilization required	On heavy, shady or moist soil there is a higher risk of moss and floor thatch formation
Has a positive effect on the soil (soil life, drought resistance, etc.)	Mulching is not well suited to very sandy, very dry soil
Beautiful green lawn color due to high nutrient supply	No clean appearance immediately afterwards
No need to dispose of the lawn clippings

By the way: Mulching replaces that Lawn Fertilizer only in part. If you mulch your lawn, you can fertilize less regularly or in smaller amounts, but you should not do without it completely.

The conclusion: mow the lawn or mulch?

Despite the explanation of all the advantages and disadvantages, a general recommendation for mowing or mulching is not possible. From an ecological point of view, mulching is clearly advantageous. The time required, on the other hand, speaks more in favor of mowing. Under certain soil and site conditions (heavy or very sandy soil, humid regions), we would rather recommend mowing and composting yourself. Under ordinary circumstances, the choice remains for that Cut the lawn or that lawn mulching probably a question of conviction and the free time that you want and can spend on the lawn.

The following products have proven themselves in our garden: