Grasscycling to Protect Water Quality (3:36 minutes)
Audio/Video Script:
John Pennington, County Extension Agent – Agriculture
[Music - U of A Division of Agriculture Research and Extension, University of Arkansas System]
Have you ever heard of “grasscycling” or wondered what grasscycling is? If so, you’re not alone. [Video shows a lawnmower and someone holding a handful of grass in their hand.]
[John Pennington] Hello, this is John Pennington, county extension agent for agriculture and water quality in Washington County and today I’m going to be talking about how to grasscycle to protect water quality. [Video shows a stream with a waterfall.]
Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving clippings on the lawn when mowing. [Video shows grass clippings on a lawn.]
Grass clippings will quickly decompose returning valuable nutrients to the soil. [Video shows someone using a push mower to mow a yard and someone holding a handful of grass in their hand.]
Grasscycling saves time, money, and protects water quality. [Video shows a wall clock and a stream with a waterfall.]
Mowing time is reduced since the bagging and disposal of clippings is eliminated, grass clippings add beneficial organic matter back to the soil which provides free fertilizer and produces healthy green lawns. [Video shows someone mowing grass and a close-up of a healthy green lawn.]
Grasscycling reduces turfgrass fertilizer and water requirements, which can minimize nutrient runoff entering storm drains and polluting lakes, creeks, and rivers. [Video shows someone mowing and water running into a storm drain.]
To grasscycle, you need to have a proper mowing height. It is best to cut grass when the surface is dry, and your mower blades are sharp. Be sure to follow the one-third portion rule, meaning to mow only the top one-third of your lawn’s turf. When you leave two-thirds of your grass in place while mowing, this will allow the grass to maintain enough energy production by its leaves that it can easily continue to grow more green leaf area and deeper roots. [Video shows a diagram showing the measurement of grass mowed at one-third height. Someone mows grass with a ruler in the ground measuring grass height.]
Proper mowing for grasscycling will produce short clippings that will not cover up the lawn surface. You may have to mow the lawn a little more frequently during times of high growth like the spring, but much less when the grass is growing more slowly, like in the summer.
You can grasscycle with most any mower, just refer to your owners’ manual or local lawn mower dealer to learn if you can safely grasscycle with your mower. If you don’t mow your own lawn, then ask your lawn mowing service provider to grasscycle for you. [Video shows someone mowing grass, an owner’s manual, and a mower dealer with push and riding lawn mowers on display.]
So, now that you know what grasscycling is, and how to do it, you can go ahead and get started towards using less fertilizer, less water, and protecting water quality through grasscycling! [Video shows someone mowing a lawn, a fertilizer spreaders, a driveway with water running into a storm drains, a stream with a waterfall, and a lawn mower.]
Remember it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect water quality and grasscycling is an easy way to manage your lawn and protect water quality.
[Announcer] For more information on protecting water quality, contact your local county extension office or watershed partnership. This podcast was funded by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and Environmental Protection Agency. [Video shows logos of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, United States Environmental Protection Agency]
