33 - Friday, April 15,1988 ~ North Shore News

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' S LIFESTYLES

TORCHIERES...
AN EXPRESSION IN

Mulching mower solves

grass clippings problem

FOR MANY homeowners, the most difficult part
* about mowing the lawn is the clippings. What do you
do with the clippings? ..

According to experts, the best answer may-also be
the ‘casiest: Put them: back into. the earth with a:
mulching mower! , Loe
_. That's -what independent. university’ studies . show.

Agronomists. point out that mulching. results in a
: generally greener and healthier “iawn, because
nutrients are returned to the soil. ;

, Mulch particles decompose and are absorbed by the
grass root system within 14 days.

“Mulch allows evaporation at the soil level without
adding to thatch buildup.’. a

Mulching mowers, first introduced decades ago, are_
again popular because many of today’s models are
‘ideally suited to: meet the demands of today’s home-

owner,” >. ;

‘According to

the experts, a lawn mower designed

for mulching must have a decp mowing deck and use
a specially engineered multi-pitch blade.

The blade and deck combine to create air suction to
hold grass upright and, once cut, to suspend the clip-
pings in the mower chamber while repeatedly chapp-
ing them into finer particles. ; mo

These smail particles are then blown deep into. the
turf, near the soil level, where they decompose quick-
ly.

A ‘conventional side discharge mower, on the other

hand, blows clippings horizontally onto the lawn
rather than forcing them down into the turf.

The jong. clippings lic on the lawn surface in un-
sightly brown clumps, and this layer of dead clippings
can sometimes become thick cnough to exclude
sunlight and cause ycllowing and weakening of. the
turf. ot .

Homeowners also can bag the clippings, but it

empty the bags and dispose of clippings.

generally takes 40 to 50 per cent more mowing time to

mont Wk eta
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