yet another question..... :) I've read on here somewhere about earthing up pots using grass cuttings - could anyone advise on the best way to go about this please? and also using grass as a mulch - depth and so on. This is our first year on heavy clay soil and I wondered if it would help...
many thanks
I've used this method around my potatoes, just so I don't create great voids and dips in the rest of the bed by pulling up good soil.
I found even though I was getting my neighbours clippings, I still wasn't getting enough depth to stop the top potatoes going green. So I supplement grass clippings with lots and lots of paper shreddings (under the grass to stop it blowing away) and any weeds I pulled up. This lot got to a depth of about 6", no green potatoes. At the end of the season, any paper weeds left went on the compost heap.
Watering the bed after planting, then putting the mulch on straight away, meant I didn't have to /bother watering during the entire season. A good crop was produced.
Excellent !! thanks for all the detail, OH has a never ending free supply of shredded paper too!! ;D Most pleased ;D ;D
I've been doing it for years, it works well.
could you use leaves or leaf mulch to earth up?
am I right in thinking grass is nitrogeny and leaves are limey ?.. :)
I've earthed up with grass cuttings and it works well. One thing though - if you're going to scavenge other peoples cuttings be sure they havn't used a weed and feed treatment - it'll be thoroughly unorganic not to mention full of weedkiller.
I'm sure I've seen somewhere that you should make a point of mixing shredded paper into grass cuttings to balance PH or carbon something like that. Ring any bells?
Hi I did not have sufficient grass clippings from my house - I use them on my compost bin at home. I now have two jobbing gardeners leaving their grass clippings - one up the lottie and t'other at my house so I have a super abundance of pretty clean grass clippings for mulching, (this year I am trying it round my raspberry plants - 3 large rows!) I also have a bank at the top of the site which I will use it on to suppress the weeds and my 3 very large compost bins a near gift from the Council!
The professional gardeners have to pay at the tip to get rid of their stuff so most are delighted to have a home for it!
Ann
:o ;D
we use the grass clippings around our peas as well :)
Doen a bit more homework - lots of differing opinions on the reasons for adding shredded paper to grass cuttings, though nearly all positive. However, all consistent that shredded paper helps stop grass clumping (and becoming slimy and smelly) and assists creation of air pockets which accelerates decomposition.
I think the bit I remembered was to do with composting rather than mulching.