MULCHING: HOW AND WHY

Proper mulching

Most mowers today either collect the grass or spread it across the surface. Mowers equipped with grass collection systems are usually designed to mow small lawns as the larger the lawn the more time consuming it becomes to constantly empty the bag.

In recent years, experts have noticed that if the grass clippings (mulch) are cut small enough, they not only become almost invisible to the eye but the clippings themselves provide the lawn with essential nutrients to keep it healthy.

Reduce waste and save money!

Mulching therefore does not only virtually eliminate all the noticeable clippings from your lawn but also serves as a method for fertilizing the lawn. Grass infact is made up of 88% water, 5% nitrogen, 2% potassium and 5% of other substances. Both nitrogen and potassium are the two main elements found in the most common fertilizers sold.

Six tips for good mulching.

Please remember that for best results, a few simple rules need to be observed when mulching:

1) Mow often, every 5 days under normal conditions, every 7 days under dry weather conditions.

2) Mow slowly. When you install your mulching kit on your BEFCO finishing mower you should remember to reduce the speed to about half (approx. 4 to 5 mph) of the normal working speed (approx. 9 to 10 mph).

3) Mow at full throttle, a high throttle speed allows for a finer cut and an increase in the number of recuts of the grass clippings.

4) Mow only when grass is dry.

5) Never mow more than 1″ to 1.5″ of grass at a time. If the grass is tall mow twice at different heights (high then low).

6) Mow only with sharp blades and a clean deck.

It is advisable to remove the mulching kit from your mower for the first few mowings of spring. The wet grass conditions which usually occur during this season are likely to cause clumping under the mower deck.

BEFCO mowers available with mulching kits

BEFCO’s Cyclone C30 & C50 series grooming mowers along with the Cyclone Flex & Super-Flex series gang mowers can all be equipped with the optional mulching kits. Mulching with a BEFCO finishing mower is done through an optional bolt on kit (includes special baffles and multi leveled blades, see image on the right) which cut and recut grass clippings into particles several times before allowing them to fall back into the ground. The left over grass residues decompose quickly into by-products which are useful for your lawn.

Mulching kit