# What's the Easiest Way to Cleanup After Mowing/Edging?



## limitdiy (Apr 26, 2009)

I have St. Augustine grass that is really thick and healthy (I'm in Houston). That's a good thing or a bad thing depending if you're the one who has to maintain it.
Its an average sized yard. 
Anyway, after I mow it and edge it, when i try to sweep it up alot of the grass and debris seems to go back into the edge trenches along the grass.
Sweeping up seems to take the longest and be the hardest part of the my yard maintenance.
I was thinking of getting an electric blower/vac backpack that I can use to suck up the grass/debris and then blow it in a garbage can with a yard bag.

Is there an easier way? Besides hiring someone else to do it....that isn't an option. Is there some other gadget or tool I don't know about?


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

Don't you have a bag for your lawnmower?


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## limitdiy (Apr 26, 2009)

drtbk4ever said:


> Don't you have a bag for your lawnmower?


yes, but with this st. augustine grass I'd be stopping and throwing the bag out every 5 minutes.
scratch that...every 2 minutes.
plus all the debris/grass thats created using my electric black and decker edger.


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## Kap (Jun 20, 2008)

Get a blower. Don't waste your money on one of those blower/vac combos. And don't bag. The clippings are good for the lawn.


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## Han'D' (Apr 7, 2009)

I bought a blower/vac and I can tell you that you will end up wearing the dust and debris if you use the vac...think Pig Pen!

I just go back over the walk with lawnmower after edging or use a blower when it works. Blow the debis away from the edge or well into the grass to utilize the clippings...:wink:


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## TooledUp (Jul 7, 2009)

Definately the blower. I use mine after every mowing to blow the lawn mower off and all of the concrete and sidewalks. It is also great for blowing grass that is clumped up on on your grass. That way you do not see dead grass laying in rows after you mow, which happens from time to time if the grass gets too long between mowings.


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## limitdiy (Apr 26, 2009)

TooledUp said:


> Definately the blower. I use mine after every mowing to blow the lawn mower off and all of the concrete and sidewalks. It is also great for blowing grass that is clumped up on on your grass. That way you do not see dead grass laying in rows after you mow, which happens from time to time if the grass gets too long between mowings.


So, do you just blow it and leave it?
Or do you pick it up as well?

I found that when i leave the grass clippings on top of the existing grass, it usually kills the grass underneath it. Maybe because I'm in Houston and it gets so incredibly hot here? And its St. Augustine grass?


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

limitdiy said:


> So, do you just blow it and leave it?
> Or do you pick it up as well?
> 
> I found that when i leave the grass clippings on top of the existing grass, it usually kills the grass underneath it. Maybe because I'm in Houston and it gets so incredibly hot here? And its St. Augustine grass?


Blow it out onto the street and then sweep it up.


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## Kap (Jun 20, 2008)

limitdiy said:


> I found that when i leave the grass clippings on top of the existing grass, it usually kills the grass underneath it. Maybe because I'm in Houston and it gets so incredibly hot here? And its St. Augustine grass?


If that's the case, you need to mow a little more often. You should be mowing so that you take no more than 1/3 of the height off the grass.


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## downunder (Jun 13, 2008)

Uhhhh
Use a mulching mower?


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## Mr Chips (Mar 23, 2008)

a good mulching mower deck, with a SHARP mulching blade, shouldn't cause clippings to kill the grass. If you see the clippings starting to "clump" on the lawn, then you probably are cutting grass that's too wet, or you have a lot of build-up on the underside of your deck. Get a plastic paint scraper or a putty knife, and clean off the build up. For a mulching mower to work well, the clippings need to be able to "bounce around", so they are forced to go through the blades several times and get chopped fine. When you mow wet grass, it tends to stick to the deck, and once you get the deck covered in grass, you lose all the advantages of a mulching deck.

Keep your blade sharp. if you have sticks and sandy patches in your yard, keep in mind that when you go over them with a running mower, it creates suction that will lift up sand, and sticks and cause your blade to dull, or even "sand blast" your blade to half it's width, all of which will effect the muching and/or bagging capabilities of your mower


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

When I have the problems with clippings and edging debris. I try to do it late in the day and then come back with my mower for a quick pass over the problem area in the morning. The grass loses some moisture overnight and is not dry, but is dry enough to make it possible to clean up and bag much easier and volume in the bag is reduced.

Dick


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