Does Mulching Have a Leveling Effect Over Time?

[l008com]

I always mulch my grass clippings these days. And based on a previous discussion on here, this fall I'm going to try to mulch my leaves. Most of them, if not all of them.

This got me thinking. Now my lawn is not perfectly level like a golf course. But it doesn't have holes either, it just kinda bumpy. It's got low spots and high spots. Nothing worth filling in with dirt and trying to re-grow the grass.

Then I started thinking, over time, will all this mulching tend to have a leveling effect? I'm basically spreading a small amount of material all over teh lawn. The material (clippings, mulched leaves) are themselves tiny pieces that once dry, can easily blow around and tend to get stuck in the low spots. Or when it rains, they might get washed to the low spots and then settle there.

Of course I'm not asking if mowing like this for one season will magically fix your low spots. But I'm wondering if, over time, it could start filling them in? Like I said, all that major problem spots are already fixed the hard way, and nothing thats left is worth really going nuts over trying to level with dirt. I'm just wondering if it might get better "by itself" or not.

 

[pepper]

I think it's like anything, even a road. If there is even the slightest low spot from walking or tree roots etc rain will gather in it and make it larger and larger as water always does. It would never fill fast enough with mulch to keep the rain doing from what rain does. Only way to fix it is fill it in with top soil or just accept it's not a golf course. But if you look at a golf course and the work they put into it, it's the reason they are perfect. In my opinion 100 years of mulching isn't going to keep rain water from turning the slightest hole into a bigger hole over time.

 

[l008com]

But without the traffic to copress it, free flowing water (form wain) shouldn't be making holes worse at all. On roads it breaks down the asphalt and on trails, a low spot in the rain turns ot mud then trail use in the mud makes it bigger and bigger. So as long as the low spot in the yard is in a no-traffic area, and as long as the water isn't dissolving something under the surfaces that is causing a sink hole, I would think it would tend to fill in.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Without arguing the whys and wherefores experience tells me Pepper is right, over time it will get worse.

 

[l008com]

Well I guess in 50 years, we'll see who gets the last laught!!!

 

[Eeilee]

Certainly not most of us that are over 40
Mother Nature will always have the last laugh!

 

[mkmiraglia]

I always mulch my grass clippings these days. And based on a previous discussion on here, this fall I'm going to try to mulch my leaves. Most of them, if not all of them.

This got me thinking. Now my lawn is not perfectly level like a golf course. But it doesn't have holes either, it just kinda bumpy. It's got low spots and high spots. Nothing worth filling in with dirt and trying to re-grow the grass.

Then I started thinking, over time, will all this mulching tend to have a leveling effect? I'm basically spreading a small amount of material all over teh lawn. The material (clippings, mulched leaves) are themselves tiny pieces that once dry, can easily blow around and tend to get stuck in the low spots. Or when it rains, they might get washed to the low spots and then settle there.

Of course I'm not asking if mowing like this for one season will magically fix your low spots. But I'm wondering if, over time, it could start filling them in? Like I said, all that major problem spots are already fixed the hard way, and nothing thats left is worth really going nuts over trying to level with dirt. I'm just wondering if it might get better "by itself" or not.

I don't think spreading leaf mulch on your lawn is a good idea. What I used to use to improve my soil -- and believe me, it need it, my lot was leveled down to the clay hardpain -- a big container full of peat moss, sand, green sand and bone meal. These days I guess you can't get peat moss, so something to substitute for that. I guess garden soil is okay, maybe a FEW chopped leaves in that. I would mow, then sprinkle my magic mix lightly around. Sprinkle every time I mowed. By the time you mow again the grass will have grown through the mix.
If you have depressions you'd like to smooth out, put more mix in those areas. This works great and after a few years of this I had a nice think lawn I didn't have to water. Leaves are too acid for grass.

 

[oneeye]

Anything that decomposes will disappear sooner or later. The best way to fill the low spots in any yard is to use topsoil. NOTHING else or you're wasting your time.

 

[l008com]

I don't think spreading leaf mulch on your lawn is a good idea.

I'm not talking about spreading it around. I'm talking about just the normal mulching in place you get from a mulching lawn mower.

 

[pepper]

Certainly not most of us that are over 40
Mother Nature will always have the last laugh!

Reminds me of one of my favorite sayings.. live laugh and love today because tomorrow might never come.

 

[oneeye]

I'm not talking about spreading it around. I'm talking about just the normal mulching in place you get from a mulching lawn mower.

Try it and see.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

You , Mulch your grass clippings? Guess I do also. as I ride around on my lawn mower and cut the grass letting the side thing spew it out to where ever it goes. I have too much lawn to gather such, so all the clippings just lay as they land and do whatever it is they do.

 

[pepper]

Usually with mulching, at least with a three in one mower mulching is when you close off the side chute and back chute and the grass just spins around getting chopped up under the mower rather then blowing out the side or out the back into a bag. As you go it gets left behind on the ground after being in the "blender" under the machine getting chopped up. The slower you go the more it spins around under the lawnmower just like it's in a blender. Blowing out the side or into a bag is cutting not mulching.

 

[abucamber]

The concept of the leveling effect in mulching refers to whether the application of mulch over time results in a more uniform and level soil surface. The idea behind this is that as organic mulches break down, they gradually fill in gaps and irregularities in the soil, creating a smoother surface.
Several factors influence whether mulching has a leveling effect over time:
Mulch Type: Different mulch materials break down at varying rates. Hardwood mulch, for example, decomposes more slowly than straw.
Climate: The speed of decomposition is influenced by temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Warmer and wetter climates generally lead to faster decomposition.
Soil Composition: The texture and composition of the soil can affect how quickly organic mulches break down and whether they integrate with the soil.

for more infos about plants and gardening feel free to visit qooplants
Cheers!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

for more infos about plants and gardening feel free to visit qooplants

qooplants doesn't throw up anything on Google,