Grass is a wonderful addition to your compost pile. However, you can often leave the grass clippings on your lawn, and they’ll add nutrients right back into your lawn. But, can you compost grass clippings? You sure can.
In fact, they are a unique material. If you’re adding fresh cut grass clippings to your compost, then they are considered green material. If you let them dry out first, then they’re considered brown. Interesting huh?
Green grass clippings are a wonderful source of nitrogen for your compost.
How to Compost Grass Clippings
Adding grass clippings to compost is pretty easy. You want to be careful not the let them clump up inside your compost pile, though. They’ll start to stink and will prevent the composting process from occurring efficiently. When you dump them in, they clump up and become a mess.
To avoid this, you want to mix your grass clippings with brown material such as leaves and paper. A 2:1 ratio should give you what you need. Mix up your compost pile well, and you can avoid the mess of grass clippings.
Are herbicides a concern when I add grass to compost?
For home lawn care, the herbicides you use must break down in a few days, so they shouldn’t be a problem in your lawn care.
You want to take care of grass clippings from commercial locations like parks, businesses, golf courses, etc. They may be using something different.
Can I compost grass clippings?
You sure can. Grass in compost is a great addition to your compost pile. Be careful how you add them, making sure to maintain the proper mix with brown material and spread them throughout your pile.
You can actually even avoid that little bit of effort by leaving the grass compost, with nothing else, right on your lawn. It will naturally break down and add nutrients back to the lawn.