Evaluation of Turfgrass Clippings from Mulching Versus Side Discharge Mower Operation
2019
Miller, Grady L. | Pinnix, Garland D. | Bartley, Paul C. | McCauley, Raymond K. | Jackson, Brian E.
Core Ideas Mulching lawn mowers may not reduce turfgrass clipping size and subsequent rate of clipping decomposition for nutrient recycling. Mower size/horsepower and turfgrass species can influence turfgrass clipping size. Lawn mower deck design and mode of operation can influence clipping size and distribution on the turfgrass surface. Mower design and operation have been based on reducing clipping size to enhance filtering into the turfgrass canopy away from the surface. Reduced clippings on the surface can increase surface uniformity, a primary goal for lawn mower use. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of mulching mower units to reduce clipping particle size compared with traditional side‐discharge mower units. Three commercially available mowers of different horsepower/size were tested in mulching and side‐discharge modes of operation to evaluate clipping parameters from tall fescue and zoysiagrass maintained under typical home‐lawn conditions. Turfgrass species and mower size had a greater impact on clipping length and specific projected area than mode of operation. Tall fescue clippings were 28% longer than zoysiagrass and had a 34% greater specific projected area. A medium or large mower produced clippings 28 to 31% shorter than the small mower and decreased the specific projected area by 19 to 32%. Mulching operation did not decrease clipping size as hypothesized. Instead, mulching resulted in average increases of 9 and 0.2% in clipping length and specific projected area, respectively. A side discharge mode of operation may result in fewer clippings on the surface, increasing surface uniformity compared to a mulching mode of operation.
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