Taking care of your lawn health is very important and it is one of the most crucial tasks for most homeowners. If you have grass clippings in your lawn and want to handle them, you have two major options; mulching and side discharge mowing. But which one is a better practice mulching vs side discharge?
These two types of mowing are different from one another. Side discharge mowers are more versatile and perform better than mulching mowers. On the other hand, mulching mowers are most beneficial in small yards, with the same function of removing grass clipping from the garden. This article contains complete information regarding mulching and side discharge mowing and their pros and cons for the lawn. Stay tuned for more!
What Is Side Discharge Mowing
When the mowing works by cutting the grass’s blades and then releasing the clipped blades from the side of the mower. That’s why it is known as side discharge. The side discharge chute creates an open-air flow; the mower has great suction technology that works against those clippings. As the mower constantly releases the clipping blades from the side, there is no risk of blades getting stuck inside the mower.
When there is less clogging of blades inside the mower, it means the power loss is also less. You can work with great speed when there is no power loss. You need to know that the speed of releasing the clipping is high, and you can only do this type of mowing in larger areas. Because in larger areas, the grass is extra long, and wet, and in other conditions where you need high efficiency.
What Is Mulching
The mowers don’t have an opening on the side in mulching, and they might have a closed side discharge chute on these mowers. Mulching provides you with the best way to remove most of the grass clippings. This mowing type breaks down the clipping into smaller pieces faster as they have long blades. They have a design that makes the mulching mower trap the maximum number of clippings inside it.
Thus, this heavy work decreases the efficiency of grass while cutting the long and wet grass. If you have a small area to cover, mulching is your best option. When there are a lot of sidewalks on the lawn, you need to keep it maintained, and you need some fast tools to take care of this. If you have a small lawn and are always worried about its cleaning and maintenance, mulching mowers can solve your problem instantly. They are faster in cutting the grass blade and making it grow perfectly.
Side Discharge vs Mulching
Mulching and side discharge have the same function of mowing lawn but their work is different. You have to decide which method to use for your lawn, you need to think about different things. You need to check what are the mowing conditions or your grass short, long, wet, or dry. How much area is your lawn covering? And What is the environment near your lawn, including all the windows, cars, and other buildings near you?
There is a basic difference between the two. Mulching can be your go-to option if you have taken the mowing process slowly and use the grass clipping as a natural fertilizer for your lawn plants. It also makes the grass drier and shorter. On the other hand, side discharge is the other best option for removing those grass clippings. Side discharge is the best option if you have a large open area. When using this side discharge, you don’t need to worry about using those grass clippings again or about the area being long or wet.
Mulching VS Side Discharge – Which is Better
Mulching and side discharge are both useful in their own way. You can only answer and describe the best based on the specific circumstances. Both these methods have their benefits and drawbacks. If you want to decide which one is better, read the following pros and cons of both methods:
Pros of Mulching
You can learn about the benefits of mulching in the following details:
1. Free Fertilizer
Grass clippings are the natural nitrogen source for your lawn, and you need the mulching power to make smaller prices of the grass clipping. You can add them into the grass from beneath the mower, which will lead to a new coating of broken clipping on your lawn. It will later work as a fertilizer for them. They also work as an efficient fertilizer to fulfill their nitrogen requirement, which helps the lawn’s overall growth and health.
2. Less Cleanup
If your lawn is surrounded by sidewalks or gardens, mowing with mulching is the best option. All the clippings will stay within the mower, and you will not release any discharge of those clippings to the nearby area. If you live in a residential area, you don’t go with side discharge as it creates a mess in the surroundings.
With the help of mulching, you can clean up the mess easily without any problem. Side discharge blows the discharge several feet away, which is unethical when a road or sidewalk is near your lawn. You will not be throwing clippings on the cars or walls near your lawn with the help of mulching.
3. Safety
Mulching is a lot safer than side discharge. It reduces all the hazards associated with side discharge. The mower contains everything underneath and does not fling anything out from the side of the mower. Safety of the surroundings and everything around the lawn will be safe from side dumping.
Cons of Mulching
Here are some of the drawbacks of mulching:
1. Efficiency
The mulching mower has a specific design, and the mower can wear out due to this design if the number of grass increases. It would help if you mowed at a relatively lower speed to prevent the wearing down of the mower. The mulching mower also uses more power; thus, more power can damage the mower if you increase the quantity of grass. That is why you can’t use this mower in larger lawns; using this in small lawns is easier, and there are minimum chances of bogging out.
2. Not Good for Long or Wet Grass
A mulching mower can’t release the clipping quickly. Moreover, long or wet grass can become inside the mower and can cause the wearing of the mulching mower. The wet grass can accumulate inside the mower and clog the blades. All the grass will start accumulating one on top of the other, making it difficult for you to release these clippings.
The blade will not be able to spin properly; as a result, all these clumps and mess will wear the mower completely. You will need something that can remove the mess from the inside of the mower so you can start mowing properly. With the help of side discharge, you can handle this problem.
3. May Not Offer a Clean Cut
A side discharge mower creates a much stronger vacuum as the airflow is very high, mulching does not have this characteristic. No updraft on the grass blades makes picking up the grass properly difficult. Due to this reason, you might not be able to cut the grass properly due to uneven blades.
Pros of Side Discharge
Here are some advantages of using side discharge mowing:
1. Quicker/Great for Large Areas
The side discharge mower is great for covering larger areas of the lawn where you might not find any obstacles. You can easily let the grass blow anywhere and don’t need to worry about the surroundings as this type of lawn is far away from the city. In addition, you can also mow very fast with the help of this type of mowing.
You can eject the clippings from any mower direction; all you need to do is mow the grass. All the clipping will blow away, and you will have freshly mowed clipping-free grass. The blades will not become clogged, unlike mulching. They will keep mowing faster as there will be nothing stuck in their blades, and you can remove the clipping easily from one side of the mower. This full-speed mower swing will help cover a larger lawn area in minutes.
2. Works on Long and Wet Grass
The side discharge mower releases all the clipping from one side. Hence, its usage is recommended on long and wet grass. Here, you don’t need to worry about the release or clogging of this grass. You won’t have to worry about the bogging of the mower due to the accumulation of clipping inside.
There is no clipping accumulation inside the mower, and it all spreads out from the side of the mower instantly. This mower has a special design that removes all the clipping before it even gets inside the blades. It can cause the blades to slow down and many other problems that can wear down the grass clipping.
3. Provide a Great Cut
There is amazing airflow inside the side discharge mower, and it can give you an amazing and superior cut compared to a mulching mower. The blades work so that they suck all the air from the mower and then blow it out from the side of the mower. The airflow gets into the grass lying down, so the mower can pick up the blades easily and leaves a perfect and uniform length cut.
Cons of Side Discharge
Here are some limitations of the Side discharge:
1. Messy
You must decide about the extreme mess if you have a side discharge. When this mower blows the clippings several feet away from the side of the mower, all these clippings create a mess. These clippings spread on the nearby cars, buildings, and other sidewalks. This mower spreads the mess in different directions, and you cannot do anything about it to control it.
When you are mowing on the wet grass, there will be clumps of wet grass everywhere around the lawn. These wet clumps become hard to clean, and you have to do unnecessary cleanup due to this type of of mowing.
2. Safety Threat
When you live in a residential area and use this side discharge on your lawn. It will eject all the grass clippings, rocks, and anything it can remove from the ground to its surroundings. Someone is likely injured when this mower spreads rocks and other hard objects with this speed around it. You need to be careful while using this type of mower as it can damage the surrounding by throwing away the grass.
3. Less Effective
When you cut the grass clipping, it will blow away from the side of the mower. This type of fertilization is undesirable. Because the clippings fall in different directions, and you also can’t control the direction where they will be going. But it is not possible when you are using a side discharge.
When the side discharge mower releases the leaves and grass, they are big, and you can’t use them as fertilizer like mulching. You will have to shift it into smaller pieces before using it, which can be tiring. Using them as fertilizer will take a lot of time as you have to collect and prepare them to spread onto the grass to be consumed by the soil.
When to Choose Mulching
You must go for mulching if you have a small, well-maintained lawn with sidewalks, gardens, windows, and other houses. It is the best option when you live in a residential area with people and other buildings near your lawn. Mulching is the best option if you want to create less mess.
Mulching ensures no mess on houses and other buildings nearby, and you can remove the grass clippings slowly and easily. You can also add fertilizers to your lawn with the help of mulching. It will accumulate all the clippings beneath in smaller pieces, and then you can use these smaller clippings as fertilizers for your lawn.
When to Choose Side Discharge
If you have a large open area where there is no residential area nearby, you can use side discharge. If all the flying clippings do not cause any harm to you, you can use the side discharge method. Inside the mower is a self-cleaning technology that stops it from accumulating grass.
The airflow instantly removes any grass from inside the mower. There is no risk of clogging inside the mower, so you can use long, wet, and cover large lawn areas with the help of this mower. You can use this mower without hesitation to cover a large lawn area.
Conclusion
This article contains complete information about mulching vs side discharge. You can get thorough detail about the pros and cons of both mowing methods. There are some prominent differences between the two. Side discharge provides the best cut to the grass, works faster, and you can also modify it into mulching if there is some situation like it. While mulching is more specialized to working slowly and cutting the clippings into smaller pieces. Thus, use the one that better suits your lawn grass and area!
FAQs
1. Can You Use the Same Blade for Mulching and Side Discharge?
Mulching blades are different compared to the side discharge mower. So, you cannot use the same blades in both. Blades for mulching will have less updraft, and the clippings can stay in the mower deck longer. While the side discharge blades can draw maximum airflow and eject the clipping as soon as possible.
2. Do Mulching and Side Discharge Mowers Have Different Decks?
Decks are also different in both of these mowers. The mulching mower has an enclosed deck that keeps the clipping inside the mower, and you can open the deck later to take it out. On the other hand, a large opening the side discharge mower, and a chute will help eject the cut grass more efficiently.
3. Which Type of Mower Requires More Upkeep- Mulching or Side Discharge?
When you use any piece of equipment for a specific purpose, keeping it in good working condition is essential. Therefore, whether you use a side discharge or a mulching mower, both require regular upkeep. In the case of mulching, you must occasionally remove thatch and sharpen its blade. In contrast, the discharge chute and blades of the side discharge must be regularly cleaned when used.