Try ‘Grasscycling’ The Next Time You Mow Your Lawn In Livingston

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Township of Livingston. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The Township of Livingston encourages residents to “grasscycle” when mowing the lawn, rather than bagging grass clippings for pickup.

Grasscycling (similar to mulching) is the natural recycling of grass by leaving clippings on the lawn and allowing them to decompose, which returns nutrients into the soil. It makes lawns greener and healthier, decreases yard waste, reduces the need for fertilizers, and helps the environment.

Additionally, grasscycling is a great way to save time and money while also conserving resources. It takes very little effort, with less time spent emptying the lawnmower bag when cutting the grass, and less money for yard waste bags and fertilizer.

Grasscycling helps the environment since grass clippings are a significant part of the municipal solid waste stream in New Jersey. It can also decrease the state’s energy use and levels of pollution.

The practice works best when the lawn is mowed when grass is dry and often enough so that no more than one-third of the length of the grass blade is cut at one time. Many newer mowers are designated as “mulching mowers”; however, it is easy to grasscycle using any type of mower. A mulching blade adapter can be attached to a conventional mower to cut grass clippings into fine pieces. Blades should always be kept sharp.

If a week is missed, the extra growth can be handled by:

• mowing the top third of the grass every two days until the desired height is reached
• adding heavy clippings to a garden as mulch
• mixing clippings into the soil
• composting the grass

To maintain a healthy lawn, residents should water in the early morning or evening to avoid evaporation, and water infrequently to let the grass develop a strong root system. Residents should check Livingston’s Lawn Watering Ordinance 19-2016; watering is allowed on specific days at specific times, determined by house number and sprinkler type. Those with WaterSense “smart” irrigation controllers are exempt from this restriction.

Visit livingstonnj.org/LawnWatering for information about Livingston’s Township Code and watering schedule.

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