GRASS - The Most Valuable FREE Resource for Growing Food
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
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I am very excited to share this video which shows you the multiple uses of grass and grass clippings in the garden, and the second half of the video shares what I think is the most exciting use for grass which is creating a JADAM liquid fertilizer for balanced plant growth using 100% free materials including the container itself as part of Project LEACS. I really hope you can see just how beneficial this resource is and even if you have slug problems you can still use grass for many different uses in your vegetable garden.
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#grassclippings #permaculture #jadam
Intro - 0:00
Grass clippings are misunderstood - 0:35
Drying out grass clippings - 1:30
Multiple Mulch Options - 2:16
Slugs & Mulch - 2:49
Weed Control & Water Retention - 3:15
Mulching Potatoes - 3:57
Watering - 4:32
Longer grass - 5:18
JADAM Organic Amendment (JLF) - 5:43
JADAM Grass Liquid Fertilizer - 6:46
Grass JLF Process - 7:18
Using JLF - 10:18
Project LEACS - 11:22 - Jak na to + styl
Find out more about JADAM Organic Farming here: en.jadam.kr/ 🌱 One thing I forgot to mention is when using thicker mulches leave a little gap between the stem and the mulch of the plant to help with airflow :)
Thank you for the video, Huw. Actually, we don't need to buy fertilizer. So far I give all my plants, vegetables, and fruit trees additional bagged fertilizer and trace minerals other than manure. I spend a lot of money on all of them. I don't make compost. I am going to make compost, compost tea, comfrey, grass tea, etc. But I still received the information in gardening groups, people advised us to use blue NPK and other things. These things are actually unnecessary. I can see your plants are doing well.
How does JADAM integrate/contrast with Bokashi?
@@ScrogginHausen bokashi is just one way of making compost, JADAM is a whole approach to diverse food production
@@HuwRichards thanks so much for this! I love using everything that is living or was living in my home and garden to put back into the soil. I have been wary of lawn clippings, but this is giving me so many ideas. Thanks.
Genial idea lo hare. Saludos desde patagonia chile.
One thing worth mentioning is if you have a Bermuda grass lawn you need to make sure the clippings have fully dried out before you put them on your beds. If you don’t, your beds will just turn into a Bermuda grass bed.
Or if the grass has any seed or stolons in it for that matter. Exactly why I stopped using grass as mulch, it was a great way to grow more grass where it wasn’t wanted
Yes!
I agree! Im still pulling it out of my beds. It just spreads like crazy!
Bermuda grass is a very prolific weed.
@@elifowler7150unless you are cutting when the stalks are a couple feet high those young seeds won’t be able to germinate. Also any relatively modern grass cultivar has sterile seeds
I just wanted to say to all of you who are sharing your tips that you are awesome, especially for someone like me who really has no idea what they are doing. Reading through the comments is like digging for gold.
Realized what I wrote never made any sense lol, thanks again
Makes perfect sense. Honestly, the only way to learn is experience and mistakes. Even after selling my farm and having elaborate landscaping I still mess up. Tried to seed Catnip this year - nothing after two tries so I finally read the instructions. "Do not bury seeds and be sure to place in full seed." - exactly opposite of what I was doing. LOL
Very true,lots of really good information...
@@smb123211Yes instructions do come in handy,I think sometimes we're just to lazy to read and think we know,lol...
I have been gardening at my patch for 40 years. The soil was not really soil, just crushed alkaline fine sand 4KM AWAY FROM THE BEACH. We are on the top end of the Quindalup dune. Being a person on a very tight budget with growing family i used everything and anything I could lay my hands on. Now I have deep soil with life teaming everywhere. Great advice Huw.
Yep, I've always used grass clippings in Perth also. Use my worm farm as a nursery then periodically make a worm sludge with castings including worms & eggs. The compost worms feed on the lawn clippings as they break down.
@@pmd7914 what about weed seeds in grass? Not the good kind
@@comree11 Mow regularly, before it sets seeds. It will also depend on your type of grass. Otherwise, use it in a compost bin that gets hot enough to destroy the seeds before using.
Can you explain what are the top 3-5 things that really made a difference in your gardening experience? Thanks!
@@ImAllTheWayUp I would say adding lots of compost and tilling in is important especially when first starting out on a poor soil
Years ago I lived in New Mexico. The dirt in back of my apartment was very hard. I started going around the neighborhood picking up bags of clippings for mulch. After a couple of years I could push a 2 foot rod into the soil with little effort. The plants grew well.
Very clever.
Ooohhh that makes me happy!!! Grass is amazing:)
Which part of NM? It is my understanding that there are at least seven geological substrates in the state with a wide land variance and altitudes in the Land of Enchantment. Btw, I hope you are not directly affected by the fires.
@@donnawoodford6641 Albuquerque, Eastern Avenue, back in the 70's. I was just sand in back. In front of the apartment there was a patch of mint. I mulched half. The mulched half did much better.
I collected weeds, dried leaves, coffee grounds, really old (30+ yrs) horse manure, shredded paper, cardboard boxes, crappy tree bits, anything that will breakdown and feed my soil. Now I have birds and bees and helpers in my garden. Horned toads, lizards, preying mantis and more. And I am in the New Mexico desert. Just look around and start with baby steps. Doing lots of research too. Best part is all the wonderful gardeners I've met on my journey 🤗
I dry some of my grass clippings on the drive way. It takes less than 2 hours in the summer to turn the grass into hay. I mix it with shredded leaves in the fall and heavily mulch my garden bed with it in the winter. This keeps my soil protected and adds organic matter to the soil. I also use fresh grass clippings as a mulch in my garden during Spring and Summer.
You can also spread clippings between rows, like strawberries. Then use as mulch and liquid fertilizers re this video.
I keep trying grass in my garden but my tiller doesn't like it.
Doesn’t the grass clippings have some weed seeds on them? I tried mulching my flower bed with a freshly cut grass clippings and after a month or more weeds like dandelions and thistles started sprouting out on all of my flower beds.
@@matrvus4758 that would be my fear
@@matrvus4758 yes, grass clippings should never be used as mulch around plants ... Just between the rows ... the seeds will sprout again unless they come from compost that has 'cooked' them.
Thank you for your good information presented concisely. I live at 7 thousand feet in colorado and 30 years ago I started to collect and plant grasses. Every year I move the grasses to other rocky parts of the 3 acres and it has transformed the soil. This year I took a new approach to my 5x5 foot garden beds. I used a plastic 1 1/2 inch pipe that I baried 8 inches deep with small 1 1/16 inch holes drilled in the side of the pipe. I wrapped the underground pipe with a layer of cardboard so my plant roots would not be able to easily plug the watering holes. The cardboard would evenly distribute the water underground. I buried the pipe with a fresh batch of new compost and bark underneath it, the pipe comes out of the ground 6 inches out of the soil on both ends, this constant access of the plant roots to air and water makes the plants grow incredibly well.
So when watering I fill the pipe with water for 10 seconds on a 5 foot pipe. The results has been remarkable. The bed is 5x5 foot and needs less water than all the other 5x5 foot beds other beds. The soil is soft and alive. The plants were panted two weeks after the rest of the garden and everything is larger and healthier. Allot less water with allot more produce. The soil stays alive in the hot rocky mountain sun.
Grass clippings are wonderful. For the fastest, lightest and easiest compost, try mixing fresh clippings with sawdust using a pitch fork. Use a compost thermometer and turn only when the pile has cooled off which may be a week. Keep the sawdust in a barrel nearby the pile and add more as needed. During the warmest weather, compost may be ready to use in a month. Towards the end, try adding other amendments in small amounts which may be needed by the soil such as rock phosphate, greensand, dehydrated manure, wood ash.
I have turned grass into liquid fertilizer for the last 35 years, I experimented with horse manure & grass in 2 tubs & I found the grass was just as good. I also us grass as a mulch, I am in Australia & gets damn hot so mulching the garden helps save me watering so much & stops the weeds.
I make horse manure tea, 3 horses, endless supply. I also make 2 pits a year ; in the spring, fill with manure and used potting soil. Cover with cardboard and a brick, I let it cook for a year. Endless supply of garden soil. I love this idea, I may incorporate grass clippings.
My Grandad used to add used tea and tea bags to his rainwater butt. Then use this to water his tomatoes.
Please... Do you just put fresh mowed clippings on as mulch?? Look forward to hearing from you. Kathy from Australia
What do you find with grass turning your beds into more grass lol? Or you mow before they've developed seeds I guess? Love from another Aussie haha
@@Kathy-kr1svfresh clippings as fine as long as the grass hasn't gone to seed. If your grass is seeding, hot compost it first or use it to make liquid fertilizer
We always had a 55 gallon drum in the garden into which we threw the weeds that we had hand pulled or hoed out. We would fill it with water and weeds and stir it up occasionally. Once a week or so we would water the plants with the smelly water. Then we would just keep adding weeds and water all summer. If it got too full of weeds we would knock the drum over and dump it out, leaving it’s contents on the ground to dry out and then spread it as a mulch. All of the nutrients that the weeds took out of the garden were returned to the garden in that solution. Adding grass clippings would also be great.
I found that the slugs and earwigs ate the grass clipping instead of my plants when I used then on a good 1" mat last year
Guess if they ate the grass and not your plants it’s a win.
Yes. I’ve noticed that too. It’s not 100%, but it seems that those bugs are more detritivores and are more prone to eat weakened or dying plant matter than super healthy leaves.
Yes but the poop from the bugs feeds the plants which is the only form that the plant can absorb the nutrients. Tip, bury road kill near your beds, the worms eat it and poop super nourishment around your plants roots. Non vegan...
That's the point kinda.
Grass has to turn into useful stuff somehow.
Those insects eat and poop and that poop will be broken down further.
That is also why I keep certain weeds around. I have one in particular that gets devoured by insects. Not sure what it is, but it helps with keeping them off my food.
Note that if you mow the lawn when the grass has gone up into seeds, you need to fully compost the clippings before you use them in your garden. Otherwise you will be overrun with grass and weeds in your garden.
Yes, found out the hard way. Thought the grass hadn't gone up into seeds yet, and yeah.. that backfired a little bit :D So good advice! One to be heeded. Or just mow more often.
When you cut the plastic tub and you want the rim smoother just use a blow torch or blow torch lighter, such as a cooks torch as used for creme brule. This will soften the sharp edges and also strengthen the rim as it thickens it slighlty.
This is why I read comments on these videos this is going to be my new go to thing I reuse alot of old plastic bottles when starting my seedlings never thought of that thanks for the tip
A cigarette lighter?
@@janebishop5885 there are cigarette lighters that produce a small blow torch flame, not a flame like a candle
I never knew mulching was so important. I always thought it was just to make things look better with wood chips.
EXACTLY,lol...
Actually, you can produce real food directly from the grass clippings. It is quite easy to plant oyster mushrooms on them. An once your bags with oyster mushrooms are no more producing, you can use this ready mushroom compost in the garden.
Did you dry these grass clippings before using them for oyster mushrooms?
@@annfinster yes, dry and then sanitize with boiling water, when chilled, put in plastic bags with mushroom culture, leave closed in dark for 2 weeks, when owergown with white mycelium open the bags to let air in, just keep the bugs and flies away by some screen
We spread grass cuttings beneath our fruit trees to the outer limits of the canopy, with great results. Our trees now healthier and more vigorous also less prone to pest attack.
I've been using grass clippings since the 1970's. They get layered under my tomato plants and provide nutrients and a weed barrier by blocking out the sun. They also help hold in moisture and I live in a very arid area so that matters.
In addition to all that's been said already, here's another benefit of grass mulch, especially for tomatoes. Whenever there's a hard rain or a very aggressive watering from over top the plants, the soil will splash up and onto the plants, onto its leaves, etc and bring diseases. By mulching with grass, the soil is covered, and no matter how hard it rains or gets splashed, the soil stays where it should, and the tomatoes stay healthy!
Is it ok to use dried out matted grass clippings to top off my containers??? New Jersey...
@@scottkozinski6199I'm a newbie so thank you..
Thanks so much for making growing food and gardening in general more accessible! I’m on disability and gardening is helping me to recover my health, but it can get expensive buying things like fertilizer, soil amendments, etc!
Have a look at "electroculture" to save on fertilisers etc plenty of info on the net
❤💕❤,Thanks.
I saw videos of people soaking banana peels in water ,soaking grass clippings in water and let them marinate for about a week and then pour it on the soil,there's so much all natural stuff that we don't have to buy fertilizers...
Comfrey is another great chop and drop mulch or make comfrey tea ferment for fertiliser, and use the plant as a poultice to heal broken bones, and as a salve for pain and inflammation. May Pachamama heal you ❤
Totally agree. I ship in bags and bags of the stuff.
Mainly used on compost and as a mulch including the spuds. Although slugs might like that environment where do you think slug predators such as centipedes and rove beetles like - the same type of environment so if you keep mulching you will eventually build up a bunch of slug predators. Birds seem to love rooting through the mulch looking for food which speeds up the decomposition of the mulch as it gets more air.
I've never heard of JADAM before but I've been making a feed with grass and weeds for years and it gives the plants a bit of a boost. I just stuff a 100 litre water but with the plant material well packed in and top up with water to cover then let it rot for a few months or more.
One thing you you didn't mention is getting the grass cuttings to water your garden for you. During a hot summer with little/no rain the grass mulch can trap morning dew or condense fog and feed that moisture into the beds. Because the clippings have quite a large surface area it can condense out quite a bit of moisture.
Thank you for the water reference..
He did mention about the grass clippings keeping in the water 👍
@@Marie-yx5ie Yes, he mentioned that it keeps the water in and stops it evaporating, but because of the surface area of the clippings it also allows dew to condense out of humid air and add water to the bed.
It's always wonderful to hear your very warm welcome to the garden. Thank you for inviting us in to learn from your classroom!
I am 76 years old and while growing up was taught by a number of old people that grass is a highly acidic addition to compost. That is why it is only added in small amounts. Since then in gardens of sizes up to an acre and hayfields as well I have experimented with grass in various quantities and qualities. This includes the restructuring of old gardens and compost heaps of myself and others. I have also viewed at length its effect upon cutting machinery when in for repair.
As with the author I would agree grass is acceptable when added little and often to existing compost. The main problems are grass is available to most people in large difficult to dispose quantities - who cuts a quarter of a lawn? Secondly, most compost heaps are disposed in difficult areas of the garden usually shady and in rain shadow; thirdly manufactured compost makers usually deny any natural addition to the compost by being basically upturned buckets. Good compost making that will absorb most garden waste as well as organic kitchen waste starts with a good base. Go and buy some 50p sacks of pony or horse dung with some bedding ands
Read that on the ground as a base. This will attract worms who are vital to your cause. Then add layers of compostable items with dirt shaken off but never too deep. Once the first bin is full repeat for second and turn the first I into an empty third. Repeat the dung base as worms only come from the bottom. Later do the same for the second bin. In these circumstances quite large amounts of lawn clip may be consumed but if a large amount is on hand add some more cheap dung and water in dry weather.
Is it worth the labour caused? In 12 months I provided my Daughter with all the compost required fo a large new estate garden about 3/4 ton. Is the labour of your vegetables worth the effort? I will tell you what one old farmer told me years ago “If the weather is kind I can grow anything cheaper than you. If I can’t grow it nor can you”! Over a lifetime I must agree the old devil was right; so it just depends how you wish to spend and occupy your time which is a matter for the individual.
I've been using my grass clippings for years. Perfect stuff.
Since watching your channel i've learnt so much. I used grass cuttings to mulch my garden in the autumn and was surprised how little weeding i needed to do, since then i've used them around my plants and in thicker layers on beds that are yet to be filled and the soil is greatly improved. Thanks for all the advice and i'm looking fwd to more videosxx
Huw, good morning from Leesburg, Florida USA. I have enjoyed this mulching method video. You are a good teacher and instructor.
Hi Huw, thanks for all the info. We bag all our grass clipping here in our garden and put them on the compost. I always try to mix them in so it’s not one big lump. I agree it can be hard to find enough browns for the compost, especially this time of year. And I’ll have to give the grass mulching a try on the veggie beds.
Last year made my own - I use d a 5 gallon pail with a spigot added 2" from bottom to drain liquid + added alfalfa cubes used for livestock. I also elevated it & placed near my garden!! Happy Growing!! Similar to compost Tea used for my hoy pepper plants!
I use my clippings on the nearest garden to where I'm mowing. I give it a turn over occasionally especially after rain. It softens the soil really great. Love your videos. Nuku noa, from New Zealand.
So timely! I just started learning about Korean organic gardening and its fermented applications. Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll have to see if my library carries it.
Very happy that you are divulgating JADAM. With (bad) fertilizers getting more and more expensive recently, JADAM is the answer.
Grass clippings are great to prevent weeds in areas I don't want any grass or plants, like parking spots on dirt for example. It also prevents mudding, soil run offs, and soaks excess rain water slowly. Great for mulching and cheaper too.
I use a reel mower to cut grass so there is no heat or gas involved and I feed that grass to my rabbits and dry it for hay for them. I bed the rabbit hutches with shredded paper. Then the waste and goes directly into my garden as mulch. Rabbit droppings don’t burn plants so their manure is a real asset in the garden and they are really fun to watch playing in the garden! It’s just an extra step between cutting grass and mulching but I find it very helpful and nothing at all is wasted.
We use grass clippings for our guinea pig pen. They poop alot and when we scoop up all their poop and grass clippings it goes straight onto our veggie beds
I do the same with my backyard chickens .. use the grass clippings in there coupe where they sit collect it and put in in my beddings...
I put all my grass clippings into a pile to compost. I dont wait for it to completely compost down. I use when needed and it makes an amazing mulch. Thanks for the video Huw 👍
I have watched you for so long now that the young boy that I watched then has now become the man. Loved your garden and information then as I still love it now. Thanks for your channel
Great video Huw. I too am using grass as a mulch this year as I now have access to large volumes of pesticide-free clippings. Such a great resource
I bought a small country house with a big garden in Hungary in 2021. The garden was not used for years. When I cut the grass, I had a quite big pile of green compost. . Also a lot of small acacia trees were cut, so the following winter I hardly had to buy wood to heat the house. (I used electric heating mixed with wood until the energy crisis kicked in.) Last year I grew quite a lot of vegetables and I used the mulch from the green compost. My plants were thankful. 😅 Not everything turned out well, but many did produce really well, like eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, squash, carrot, swiss chard. I was quite pleased with the results.
We collect our clippings every other week and add them to our compost pile that is made up of wood chips (chip drop is great), coffee grounds, tea leaves, kitchen scraps, etc. At the end of the season, we dump the pots into the piles. Next season screen the piles for the pots as well as a layer on the gardens. Luckily we have plenty of compost and have been able to top-dress the lawn and no longer fertilize the lawn.
Love these videos!
Without being repetitive, you go into great, useful detail; thank you!
Very much appreciated. Thank you :)
You have such a beautiful garden. :) Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.
You are very welcome :)
Hi Huw, I just wanted to say that I did a garden in 2020 and it was alright, But this year I’m doing a garden and it looks way better all because I got your book!! So thank you Huw.
I can’t find the book, remember where you bought it?
@@kish1865 I got it off of Amazon just look up his book “ How to grow food for free”.
@@Jclaire1610 Thank you Jc!
@@kish1865 No problem Kish!!
I love the idea of turning compost bags inside out.
Brilliant. Much more attractive
Well, I look forward to more. This was the best, simple, helpful introduction to some JADAM techniques that I've seen online. It's been on my radar for a number of years but I never heard much about it other than IMO for the chicken coop
Thanks for the video! We've got a half acre and it's mostly grass still - just a few raised beds and a small in-ground area. It's easy for me to sometimes resent the work of cutting grass when I'd rather be growing food, but this helps me connect the two. Will definitely be utilizing grass as a mulch as a direct result of this video.
ford 8N tractor 1947. 6 foot wide tandem disk faster than you can walk. 1/2 acre is 43,560/2 square feet. you can do the arithmetic.
You will be able to make shed loads of compost too with that much grass if you can get enough brown stuff like cardboard ect in there. Maybe you can ask all your neighbours to give you all their brown cardboard and then in autumn leaves too.
Have you made progress with your grass clippings? I'm imagining all the amazing raised beds you could be making🤞👍
I love the idea to dry grass for a source of carbon in compost heaps! That is always our biggest challenge, and your tip has just solved it in that we have a huge amount of grass clipping available to us each week when we mow-thank you!
Actually drying grass does not change the C:N ratio, it just dries it. It is still has the C:N ratio it had before drying. Elaine Ingham stresses drying grasses or any "green" ingredients to store them until you are ready to build a compost pile to preserve the C:N ratio. (re-wet the greens when ready to build you compost pile) If not dried, decomposition starts and then it will not have the high N ratio it started with.
@@tomf.2274 Yes. I've dried grasses just to store them for a winter heat source. Once the dried grasses are wetted and stacked they heat up quickly and thoroughly.
Also, fresh grasses don't need any other carbon inputs; they compost perfectly on their own. I collect around 7 cubic yards a week and it's all I use.
Brown carboard or broun paper is great for carbons
Thank you Huw, for this and all the other really useful videos. I really appreciate the time and effort that you put in to them. They've made a great difference to me and to the health of my soil and all that flows from that fundamental change.
Bless you.
Has anyone who tried this had a problem with mosquitoes growing in the stagnant water?
I found that if you put the grass clippings in a bucket then add boiling water, let it sit overnight you can just use that to water your garden… it’s like a super green juice 👍
Ive been using it for a number of years in these ways as opposed to buying chips ect and its worked well for me , i sometimes have used a thin layer of newspaper underneath the grass mulch and its been a perfect weed barrier and breaks down perfectly by fall and builds soil for the next year . Great informative video . Thank you for sharing
Thank you Huw, you are so generous with your knowledge. I’m very interested in ensuring vegetables have access to whatever nutrients they need in the soil and providing that so that the person who eats them benefits. Coming from an understanding that much of our soil is depleted. Could I ask how we would know - even after adding a diverse range of good stuff - apart from look and taste?
You're only the 2nd person I've seen using grass as a mulch. I started doing it this year after learning from Jim Kovaleski and his 'grass-fed gardening' method. He explains how the worms actually pull the grass down into the ground, eat it and then you're left with rich soil. Just have to keep topping it off as needed. It keeps the weeds out as long as you've got a thick enough layer. I'm having great success so far.
Brilliant video huw I've seen this plant food method before and found your explanation very helpful! Thanx for posting x.
Glad to see you using grass clippings mulch and vindicating them, Huw. I’ve been saying this for years. I think you had, understandably a fear of slugs but I can see through practice you’ve also realized the amazing benefits.
I love this especially as organic gardening can be expensive if you don't know how to make your own plant food. Please keep bringing us free or cheap ideas to feed our garden. I've got some fermented nettle juice following your video from last year and I also intend to use that to feed my plants. It would be interesting to know whether it's possible to keep the garden going and healthy solely on things we can make ourselves. We all know about compost but there's only so much of that you can make and you still need some kind of liquid feed so any ideas are very appreciated. With the cost of living crisis being what it is these sorts of ideas can really help feed people. I'd really like to see some very little cost experiments from start to finish for the average Jo that doesn't have grow lights or a polytunnel. Stuff anyone can do for very little cost. The biggest shock for me my first year was the cost of starting up gardening.
Over time we learn that it doesn't have to be expensive at all..
When our veg plot is in winter / spring tick over, it always gets the clippings from the lawn sprinkled over it which then gets dug in with a late winter spade turn over. As the regular mowing starts up, so the layers start to add up until it gets a final turn over (last week ironically) and the clippings are incorporated.
However I don't cover the veg plot in clippings in the growing season as the dogs have been all over it and there's weeds, dandelions etc which would give me work. I will have already had a good pile of card / paper / brown material saved over winter and the clippings are 100% for the compost heap.
My hubby cuts the grass so I asked him to KEEP the grass clippings after your potato video. After the first grass cut of the year, all my potato pots are covered and a few of the 'in ground' potatoes too. I look forward to hearing more on this subject The only issue I have is how I can add enough green matter to my compost bin now that you have me diverting my green ingredients:). Thanks for your videos Huw.
The overhead shot detailing the set up from above is a WOW! moment Mr Richards. A little thing I've done in the garden is paint all my wooden beds and fencing British Racing Green. Our heritage colour is BRG and similar tones therein, the foreground, mid ground and backgrounds in nature in Britain are GREEN and any delicate or jazz colours 'pop' double. In my opinion the advent of foreign holidays to the mediterranean shores and bringing back with them those awful (in my opinion) brown/copper wood stains and paint, I can't stand it. The 'make over' garden series made by the BBC made it worse, You, young lad are far too young to remember this but this did happen. What you are doing NOW is vital and massively COOL, what a set up you have. ROCK STAR GARDENER ...G...
I appreciate your excellent videos.
One thing: not all grass is equal as a soil amendment. In the Sonoran Desert of the U.S. we mainly have Bermuda Grass. It has runners above & below the surface plus roots that go several feet down, so it's difficult to eradicate, even smothering with cardboard and a thick layer of wood chips. I know.
I will try your soaking method to extract nutrients but straining will be necessary to keep all parts from sprouting on/in the soil.
IMO, the easiest use for Bermuda as an amendment is to put the clippings in a bottomless cage located in a Bermuda grass yard near a citrus tree - it rots into the ground and any sprouting is okay.
Thank you for your video - I always learn something from you.
Thank you for this, Huw Richards. I will definitely use our clippings.
Deep appreciation for you and all your wonderful advice Huw
This is a good informative video, which I've implemented. On a different note, which potatoes are better the Sarpo Mira main crop as mentioned in this video or the early varieties. I have 10 buckets and need to get some spuds and get going with them. Thanks Dave
This depends very much on what types of grass you have in your lawn. Here in New Zealand many of us have paspalum, twitch, couch and kikuyu grass in our lawns (despite efforts to keep them out). Finer grasses are great to use as mulches, but these others will quickly become invasive weeds in your garden if you use them as a green mulch. Best to compost the clippings if you have these grasses and use the compost as a mulch or else your garden can very quickly be overrun with these grasses which can quickly smother desirable plants.
My old garden books (1800 - 1950s) all recommend hanging a sack of composted manure or leaf mold in a barrel of water to create a liquid fertiliser. I guess there would be a similar fermentation process. I have never tried it myself, but May sometime soon.
Thanks for the interesting video. Your garden looks very healthy. Keep up the good work.
Hey mate, great info, also in nz and trying to start a bit of gardening. Very interesting, that liquid fertiliser bit. I suppose I can’t use fresh manure and would it matter which sort? We only have sheep at the moment. I dunno how long to age them really
My father did this with a 45 gallon drum , and horse manure ( my mother got embarrassed at him running after the milk cart with his shovel and a bucket 😂🐴) I also keep a drum topped up with cow manure in a Hessian sack along with all the weeds I pull of the garden , my cow shit tea stinks but works wonders in the soil.
i enjoy every warm welcome from you! really wholesome and you're the only one saying that on youtube
thanks for your hard work you put into the videos im 62 and i am learning so much from them and keep up the good work
i live in a 2up 2 down rented house but i have a decent size garden when i see your garden mines embarrasing but im slowly getting some success
VERY WELL EXPLAINED HUW! If we don't FEED and NURTURE the soil... there will be no soil to feed us. If something comes from the soil... it can go back to the soil. How we do our part depends on two things... what our LOCAL soil circumstance/need is and how much EFFORT we are willing to put into nurturing it. My focus is paying it forward for our future generations (like planting fruit trees at 73 years old). Blessings Kiddo!🥰🌻🐛
Yay! #SaveSoil
yes... it reminds me of the adage: when is a good time to plant a tree? answer; twenty years ago
Something I’ve always remembered my dad do. Every week mulching the garden with grass clippings. Don’t think I ever saw him do any weeding. But every year we had a great garden.
Doing this with mine now. Growing potatoes in pure grass clippings as well with my extras. Grass truly is the greatest resource we have!
Oh cool! How are you growing potatoes in the clippings? Did you dry them first? I have to find a way to do raised or potted potatoes, and need ideas.
@@juanitaglenn9042 not with a container so that may have been a bit misleading how I said that. I lay the potatoes on the ground then heavily cover them with grass. Keep adding as the plants grow anyplace you see might be low and especially if you see a tuber growing. Once it’s harvest time simply peel back the grass and pickup the potatoes.
Last year it did alright I thought (pulled in almost 50lbs from around 10lbs) but I did prep a a bed for about 6lbs this year. Ran out of time to do another so I did this again this year with about 9lbs.
@@stephenleaf3848 Thank you for replying! It wasn't misleading at all how you said that. I just got excited and figured if you had good luck with grass clippings and potatoes, maybe I could try grass clippings and potatoes in containers? Just wondering if you dried them first and used as a brown material, or green, or a mix of the two?
@@juanitaglenn9042 I apply them freshly cut. I’m sure they’d work either way however. Green, brown, slightly composted down (hey that rhymes)
@@stephenleaf3848 😅 Thanks:)
I cover my planting mounds with last year's leaves. Here in Tennessee, mounding my rows and covering with leaves allows the rain to run off and keeps the ground moist. We have so many leaves ad well.
Love your channel! I tried grass clippings on my giant tomato plant in my five gallon buckets as mulch! Works great plus it does look nice as a green top instead of soil!
hi Huw , i agree my geese and ducks eat all mine , but then the poop they make is soooo bril for the garden and veg /fruit beds :) yes i use cardboard also the worms love it :) nice video your subscribers are looking awesome , well done :) i need to increase mine so much well done again Hew and congratulations again from another welsh grower stay safe and grow well ange and the gang @ not just about ducks :)
I use grass as my primary mulch. I will dump it into a wind-row and let it cure and dry for ~two days first, flipping daily. This is what's done with hay. I mulch 4+ inches thick. Slugs aren't a real problem even though they're here.
Another interesting and informative video Huw Richards with excellent tips for using grass clippings. Keep safe,well and happy gardening.
Absolutely agree with your idea of reusing grass clippings for the plants benefits in many good ways. I've been doing the same for quite some time now. I hope this video will let others know how they can make use of their grass clippings in many wonderful ways.
I'm a newbie and I'm learning a whole lot...
I’ve been mulching with grass clippings on my vegetable garden for years successfully transforming our clay soil. However, I would recommend keeping grass clippings away from the lettuces. Rain splash can bounce the bits of grass all over the lettuce leaves. It’s hard to wash off these bits after harvesting.
I used a grass mulch last summer under my orange tree last summer and it made a noticeable difference in a good way compared to previous years.
Absoloutely brilliant . It is presented in a clear, understandable and erudite manner. Congratulations and well done..
Wow what timing Huw. I have just mowed my 1/2 acre of land, in preparation for laying weed matting, and I literally have a ton of weed and grass clippings. As I don't have enough "browns" to add it all to my compost bins I was wondering what I could do with it all. Now I know! I will be starting my JADAM tomorrow in my spare oil drums, thanks.
I cleaned up my neighbor's yard a few years ago when they had to mow it after it was super long. They had left it for a couple days so half of it was brown, the other half green. I hauled it to my place and dumped it in a pile to figure out what I would do with it later. A couple days later I noticed it was steaming. It was VERY hot. I guess it was enough brown and green to not go sludge and actually compost, but I broke it up a bit and watered it and kept an eye on it so it didnt start on fire. That was the nicest compost after a couple weeks!!! I couldn't believe it. Straight grass(and weeds) lol.
Considerations regarding timing? Does it matter when you clip the grass? Is there a risk of just having grass take over your bed if it's gone to seed?
Whenever I mow and the grass clippings find their way into my beds, there are a lot of weeds that show up. In contrast, the beds that are far away from where the clippings could enter are weed free. If I start putting clippings straight in I'll have more weeds than veg. So I guess I need to collect the clippings, solarize them (put under tarp so the sun cooks them) and then use as mulch.
This is so amazing thanks!
It totally blows my beliefs that using grass clippings encourages grass growth where it’s put!! It’s the only reason I haven’t used clippings! Now I will!
Great video and content, thanks for posting it. I would definitely be using grass clippings but between the creeping buttercup, clover and plantain weed that grows on much of my residential lawn I don’t have that option. I would love to have a patch of clean grass for mulching but I haven’t succeeded in making much of a dent in the weeds yet without using herbicides or store bought fertilizers.
The thing to be careful about using longer grasses (especially field grasses) as a mulch is that they can contain grass seeds, or actually take root from the stems... I've had this issue unfortunately, from following a guide like this last year, and now some of my veg plots are just full of grass :(
Simple, don't cut when they're flowering/seeding :)
@@HuwRichards that doesn't help with rhizomatous grass though...
A past video shows you making a fermentation with stinging nettles. I'd love to hear if there's differing results (good or not as good) between that and the grass ferment. I'm pretty sure results may not be apparent soon, but down the road a comparison video may be helpful if there is a noticeable difference.
Id like to see that too 😁
Great idea Huw for grass clippings into brown for my compost bin. Never even thought of that as an idea! Will 100% be doing that to vary up the cardboard and bought hay!
fantastic video Huw :) Funnily enough I noticed that i had a patch of grass growing much better in my garden, where i had poured out a 'potion' my son had made weeks ago...well fermented grass and water, and probably good old mud!
Hi, Huw! Thanks for another Free tip! Just wondering if the grass clippings have to be dandelion free? I would really appreciate it if you or any of your subscribers could let me know. Thanks again!
Nope! Dandelions are great for Calcium. However definitely free of flowered dandelion would be nice!
I've been mulching veg and perennials with grass clippings full of dandelions in flower and seeding for a few years. I mulch with at least 2 inches and I've not had any dandelion seedlings problem, or more than normal slugs, in fact I think maybe the scent of the cut grass masks the scent of my plants so I use grass clippings around young vulnerable plants when I plant them out. When I began mulching my flower borders with grass I noticed how much happier my plants were with improved flowering and health - and there's a lot less weeding!
Glad to see your new video, Huw! For I have no grass clippings, can I apply the same method using dried leaves?
No because you want it to decompose in the water, you can use fresh leaves though!
@@ChefIsaac925 Make sure to shred the leaves first though!
@@markus_r_realiest why?
@@ChefIsaac925 It helps them break down faster.
@@melodyclark4347 what’s the rush? It gets better with time, also the microorganisms in the leaf mold soil help break it down, no need to shred
Wonderful use for grass cuttings, going to try this. Thank you
Nice video as always. I pile grass clippings six feet high and they break down into great compost without any other carbon amendments. The fibrous structure is better for many applications than the granular structure of other composts.
The only lawn clippings that tend to turn to sludge are the clovers in the early spring, but I can wash them out in a 100 gallon tub of water and restack them and they're fine after that. The wash out water makes great fertilizer too.
I'm curious about the use of any cardboard and the adhesives used in it's production. I see Charles Dowding using cardboard as a mulch. Am I missing something? It seems like anathema for organic growing practices. Thanks!
Cardboard slowly rots down providing food for worms. If you add compost mulch on top then you hopefully have a weed free growing environment which has beautiful rich soil. I have left adhesive on before and once it is wet I just pull it off and bin it.
as far as i know corn starch is a common glue used in carboard. the ink used for any prints on it would probably be a bigger issue
Cardboard glue is made from starch, so it's not toxic. It's also slightly sweet - that's why roaches always like to get in cardboard boxes. It's like a starch buffet.
@@clausroquefort9545 in America, inks have been soy for a long time. Just remove any tape and staples.
Thank you for a good laugh with you on the sheep 😂
I'm curious as how weeds in the lawn might affect the grass clippings. If your small patch of grass is almost more weeds (dandelion in particular), clover and moss; is it still good to use as grass clippings? I'm just wondering if the dandelion leaves and such could be spreading from the leaves as they do from the roots? I like having the dandelions for the bees and pollinators, so I don't want to remove them.
Oh, and I hope you might do more about growing in pots and the like, because I am not allowed to do anything else in my garden. So I have tomatoes, potatoes, peas, squash, beans, asparagus and what not in pots all over the semi-shadowed terrace 😊
clipped leaves on weeds are fine for mulch as long as there is no flowers or seed heads on them.
What I do, (and have just put together my 2nd pile yesterday). Layer the grass, wet, next leaves (i saved from fall), shredded paper, anything compostable. Wet each layer as you go along. Pile it. Then tarp it. Put something on ends to keep wind off. If 4 days- open it up and flip it, rewet it, (BELIEVE ME IT GETS HOT under that tarp. Then every 2 days, flip it. Retarp everytime. In 16 days it is broken down from the heat. Useable and the heat kills most seeds. I have no weeds in my raised bed. And this is black gold “hot compost”. Look it up on youtube. I’ve even planted squash around it. Kept the pile tarped all summer. And my squash were HUGE. Fed off the pile and rarely needed watering.
@@FloridaGirl- I've been getting mold at the top of my compost pile. Do you have that problem at all?
@@susanac7733 you need to get a pitch fork and flip it every cpl days or at least once a week. It NEEDS oxygen! If you have mold. I would flip it and airiate it real good. The whole thing should be moist. I just flipped my, literally just now. Fork it all to side, layer, moisten with hose or water bucket. Each layer. If you have some carbon (browns) like shredded paper, leaves add that too between each layer & moisten then continue. Mainly sounds like your pile needs a good deep flipping. Whenever you see mold. It needs air. So go flip it so it can breathe. (My hot compost I make with the tarp-I flip that every 2 days if you are making hot compost).
@@FloridaGirl- I'm thinking that maybe I shouldn't cover it with a black trash bag? I do flip it every few days with a pitch fork. I don't add water because of the mold. I'm in Hawaii and it's humid here.
I live in a dry and getting dryer climate. we haven't even had half an inch of rain this year. our yard is still mostly dead and brown, some grass is coming but not enough to do anything with or even mow. So this year until i have grass I've mulched my garden beds with pine shavings. As long as the wind doens't blow them away they do great at keeping the soil cool and moist
I’ve read some very conflicting information about using grass cuttings in the veggie patch or around trees, ie. not to use it as it will burn the plant roots etc. So, when I found my husband had chucked a load of grass cuttings in the new patch that I was about to plant into, I was annoyed and turfed most of that out. I’ll apologise to my husband, as he thought he was doing the right thing, which of course he was. Thanks for all the useful videos Huw.
Perhaps I missed something, but how do you prevent grass and weed seeds from the clippings from germinating?
That's always been the reason I haven't used grass as mulch.
Then you would have more weeds to harvest for returning to the bed.
So maybe you've never had grass grow in a veggie patch. It sucks up all the nutrients from the soil and blocks sunlight from your plants. Not a great idea. Dandelions are okay. But grass is like the Borg, it just takes over.
The only reason there would be grass and weed seeds in the clippings is because you let the grass and weeds go to seed before you cut it. If you cut the grass often it has no chance to produce seeds.
Thanks@@Christian-cp9hb . I pay a mowing guy to do my lawn so I don't want to do that weekly. Can you kill/burn the seeds in compost?
Are there any advantages to different varieties such as clovers, vetches etc. or is grass as a mulch the same from all varieties?
I've heard nettles make the best liquid fertilizer.
Regarding mulch, there isn't much of a difference. You mainly use that to cover the soil. Grass simply is the easiest one to get and use. I use everything that is "in season", be it grass, hay, leaves, etc. I even use the huge leaves of rhubarb.
There is a difference you are correct but not enough to go out and source it.
There is a difference you are correct but not enough to go out and source it.
My “lawn” is made of white clover, wild violets, grass and weeds. The plants and pollinators love it!
I compost a lot of grass and ripped up cardboard plus some kitchen scraps etc ,it makes great compost,I then mix it with fairly rotted down leafmold and grow my spuds in it,I then use this as topdressing/mulch and some potting mix.I also use a cut down edging tool to keep it aerated and mixed
THANKU GOD BLESS YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM IN GARDENING
I was always worried about weeds re-establishing themselves in my raised beds from using grass clippings as a mulch. What's your opinion on that Huw?
There are two simple options:
1. If there is reproductive material of weeds (roots, seeds) in your grass clippings, don't use them. E.g., right now, it's most likely full of dandelion seeds.
2. Just keep mulching enough to suppress any weed growth.
I actually mulch my beds using early spring weeds that just went into flower and won't go to seed
I put my grass clippings on really thick. I hardly get any weeds. Or you can just dump them into one area and it will rot down so eventually I can pick up the rotted stuff wearing gloves and use it on my gardens
@@crochetingaroundnewzealand the issue that rotten mulch may carry diseases,fungi and attract unwanted pests,apart from the smell and slimy consistency...I'm blessed to have pine trees and I use pine needles as a first layer and add on it weeds and clippings and it lasts a long time, also pine needles underneath keep away slugs
@@dominic6055 if you look at fungi videos on CZcams you will see that when you have mushrooms etc growing in your soil, it means you have perfect soil. It's good for your plants and helps establish root systems. The slimy stuff rotting is delicious food for your plants. They love it. There's shouldn't be disease in your weeds or grass. My grass is actually totally weeds lol but it still mulches well and my sandy soil is slowly turning into real soil. I hope this info helps. Pine needles are good as a mulch on top but if you dig in mulch it will strip your soil of nitrogen.
God gave us every herb every growing thing for our use . Praise God the Ultimate Organic Farmer x
Really appreciate you spreading and popularizing KNF!
Hi Huw. I garden in my garden in raised beds and containers. I've topped all of them including the ones in the GH and PT with my lawn clippings. Our numerous blackbird population is having a great time flinging them all back out again! Oh well, live and let live I guess. If they're happy I'm happy😁.
I'm upset because my neighbor has had to replace some of thier lawn with paving. I like to raid their garden waste bin and empty it into my compost bins.
😅😅😅 Lol
Probably the reason they switched to paving
@@robsmith5060 German Shepard pup. She's destroyed half the garden.
OPG!!
Grass clippings aka Green Gold
I like that a lot!!
@@HuwRichards me too. i highly appreciate that you mention frequently about grass clippings and other green manures 👏🏻.
Useful when you haven't enough compost to cover the ground.
Hi again Huw. I am so glad to hear you promoting grass clippings and it's uses! There is no one that is going to convince out of using it as I have seen how benificial it is as you describe!! I will be 60yrs old this year and learned from my Grand-Father and a few old faithful gardeners how to use the grass clippings wisely. I have had young friends just parrot out others negative advice about grass clippings, with no practical experience...I just carry on using it. Results speak louder than opinions in my book.
Amen to that Martin!!!🙏
Mulching with grass is the best advice I ever got! 😄