Mulching organic matter into lawn

9 years ago

When we have kitchen scraps such as cucumber peels, or dying branches from tomato plants or zinnias, for example, would it be beneficial to throw them on the lawn and mulch with my mower to add organic material into the soil, or would that contribute to thatch or have some other negative effect? I know the best solution is a compost pile, but I don't have the patience for that. When we throw this stuff in the trash it feels like a waste.

Along the same lines, when I pull crabgrass, can I mulch that up or should it be removed completely?

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Comments (5)

dchall_san_antonio
9 years ago
If you live in the south and have St Augustine, then don't put anything on the lawn that you will not mulch in immediately. St Aug is very sensitive to having the air circulation cut off. Otherwise I don't see any reason why not to mulch it in.

As for crabgrass, where do you live? Because you should not have crabgrass.
What grass(es) do you have in the lawn?
Is there much shade over the lawn?
What is your watering regimen (how frequently and for how long)?
timtsb
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, I'll mulch it in from now on.

Sorry, I always forget to fill in the location field when I post. I'm on the Jersey shore, zone 7a. I've been battling what I think is crabgrass for a while (I posted pictures on here a while ago and others seemed to agree). I used subpar preemergent and applied it too early. After getting fed up with Weed-B-Gon after the crabgrass popped up, I applied Tenacity about 10 days ago and most of it is now pretty white. Of course when I mowed a couple days ago I notice plenty of spots I missed.

I have tall fescue, seeded from scratch about 1 year ago after grading our yard. Following your advice, I rarely water the lawn. In the beginning of June I was doing it 2-3 times/week, but in the last 2 months I think I've watered twice (and once was mainly to water-in milorganite bc we didn't have rain in the forecast). I'd estimate 60% of my lawn is full sun, 30% partial, 10% full shade, and all three areas are performing well.
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dchall_san_antonio
9 years ago
You might consider over seeding this month to fill in the areas where the crabgrass took hold. The fescue won't fill by itself without more seed.
morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
9 years ago
Every year I tear out 2,000 square feet of gardens and mulch them up on about 100 square feet of lawn.

You read that right. I use the bagger, collect the chopped up stuff, and put it in the compost bin. But a fair bit does get left behind on the lawn, even after I play pick up sticks.

Not only do I get a fair bit of compost every year, I also get another hundred square feet that has had a solid inch of material piled on it. Water retention improves markedly the next year; quality doesn't change, but I already feed (organically) very well.
timtsb
Original Author
9 years ago
I plan to overseed this week, hopefully tomorrow if I have time. What's the best way to go about it without a slitseeder? My plan is to mow low and bag it, patch bad areas, then broadcast the whole yard. Should I roll it then? If so, where do I get a roller?

...or should I rent a slitseeder? I can probably do it with my neighbor.

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