Believe it or not, grass clippings can be quite beneficial for a number of reasons. Whether you want to nourish and protect your garden, jump-start your compost pile, provide bedding for animals or give yourself an abundant source of tinder, grass clippings can do the trick. Let’s take a closer look at how you can put grass clippings to work for you.
Compost
It takes a long time to establish a good compost system, and grass can help to speed things along quite a bit. In fact, grass can shorten the amount of time that it takes for nutrient-rich soil to develop by months. It breaks down and converts nutrients quickly, attracts a vast array of insects that help to process organic material, and it provides a bed of moisture that helps to retain heat and promote decomposition.
Using grass clippings also helps us to avoid relying on food scraps or yard waste to build our compost piles. You’ll end up with access to more nutrient-rich material in a shorter amount of time, and this can have a transformative impact on your ability to maintain a productive survival garden.
Mulch
Decorative wood chips are usually the first thing that comes to mind when we think about mulch. However, the main purpose of mulch is to help regulate soil temperatures and moisture content. It also helps to protect top-layers of soil from the sun. Grass clippings make for an excellent source of mulch because they serve as a bed of moisture while also allowing air to flow through. This promotes decomposition, and decomposing grass is a natural fertilizer that can become integrated with the soil.
If you’re looking for a way to conserve water and provide crops with a stable growing environment with mulch, consider using grass clippings. You can also use grass clippings to provide thermal protection and moisture retention in flower pots and boxes as well.
Liquid Nourishment
If you are looking for a natural, liquid feed product for your crops, grass clippings can provide you with an unlimited supply. Try steeping a few bushels of clippings in water for a few days in a warm, sunny location. Strain the clippings, and you can apply the liquid to your plants and herbs. You can also experiment with different ratios of grass to water or different steeping times in order to end up with a finished product that is more concentrated. You can also add in other bits of garden debris to infuse the liquid with additional nutrients.
Animal Bedding and Feed
You can used dried out grass clippings for bedding in hen houses, chicken coops and animal pens. You can also mix fresh clippings in with livestock feed as well. While clippings shouldn’t be used as a permanent substitute, they can help you to stretch resources.
Tinder
Anyone who has lit a handful of dried grass knows how much fire they can produce. Stuffing grass clippings in and around a fire can help to get them going without having to light a lot of matches or waste a lot of lighter fluid. Just remember that grass burns very quickly, and chances are that you will need a lot of clippings to keep feeding the growing fire before it will stay lit on its own.
These are just a few examples of how you can put grass clippings to work for you. Take some time to think about other ways that you can use them to your advantage as well. The possibilities are endless, and you’re only limited by your ingenuity and ability to think outside the box.
