Whenever you mow your lawn, the leftover clippings will spread all over your yard, which can get annoying. As a result, many people will attach grass catchers to their lawn mowers so they can stop the grass from flying around while they mow. Grass catchers have their pros and cons, so you should consider these points before you get one.

Pros

Tidier Lawn

If you don't use a grass catcher, then the clippings will get all over your lawn. This means that your lawn will have various clumps of grass throughout it, making it look uneven and unappealing. If you want to keep your lawn tidy without worrying about the clippings getting everywhere, then you should get a grass catcher.

This way, you can easily keep your lawn clear without going through the trouble of picking up the clippings on your own. This will also allow you to save some time.

Compost

You can use grass clippings as compost, which means that you can use it on your own land. If you use them fresh from your lawn on the area, then you can provide the dirt with some nutrients and help the grass on your lawn grow properly. This makes grass clippings a very solid option if you want your own compost.

You can also use the grass clippings to save money on compost. Since you can use the clippings for your compost, you won't need to buy as much.

Cons

Clipping Weight

As you mow your lawn, you will notice that the lawn mower feels heavier. This is because the clippings sit inside of the bag, adding weight to the entire lawn mower. This can then make it harder for you to mow the lawn since you need to push harder.

Some people may struggle with pushing a lawn mower while hauling clippings in the bag, so this could potentially slow down their entire lawn mowing process. Make sure that you consider this point if you think it might be an issue.

Emptying the Bag

Keep in mind that your bag will get full while you mow the lawn. When this happens, you need to remove the bag, carry it and empty the clippings into your garbage bin or onto your land. This adds another step into the mowing process, which will take more time and effort on your part.

You can always empty it after you finish mowing the lawn, but if you don't empty it often enough, then clippings will fall out of the bag. This can then cause you more problems during the process.

Conclusion

It's nice to have a grass catcher when you mow the lawn, but you should make sure that the pros outweigh the cons. Look over these points so you can get an idea of whether or not a grass catcher is the right piece of equipment for your needs.

A thriving, well-manicured lawn is a wonderful thing to behold. Depending on the climate of your region, your lawn will likely contain seeds that grow in the same climate. Hence, warm regions will have warm-season grasses, and cool regions will have cool-season grasses. Here's how to fertilize each type so you can watch your lawn grow beautifully at its ideal time. 

The Five Areas

The United States is divided into a cool-season grass region, a warm-season grass region, and a transition zone in-between them. There are not only two temperature zones but two primary factors, which are arid and humid. They combine to create the four zones of cool/arid, cool/humid, warm/arid and warm/humid. 

The transition zone in the middle means that there are qualities from all four zones. The solution for people living in this area is to mix both types of seeds to create transitional grasses or to overseed their existing grass with the opposite season grass in order to maintain green lawns year-round. 

What About Grasses for Shady or Transitional Areas?

Most people choose their grass depending solely on the climate of their region only to find out their lawns can't thrive or be consistently green. One must also consider the sunlight and humidity (or lack thereof) in their area. 

This is where a homeowner would consider grasses that suit their immediate environment. For example, a homeowner living in a warm-season region with a shady lawn will want a grass that only needs a few hours of direct sun or several hours of partial sun each day. On the other hand, they might opt for a cool-season shade-tolerant grass if they live in a warm region with conditions the species can handle, such as drought; tall fescue fits the bill.

What about a grass that is best for warm weather, heat and drought, but can also handle the cold? Zoysia is a great all-around choice. 

When to Fertilize: Warm-Season Vs. Cool-Season Grasses

You should always seed your grass with starter fertilizer. Once the grass has sprouted after about four to six weeks, it's time to re-fertilize it. 

It's possible to fertilize your grass only twice a year if you have low-maintenance or transitional grass. In most cases, however, you want to fertilize it three to four times a year when the temperature is just right for your species, every six to eight weeks during your grass' active growth period.

Keep in mind that fertilizing cool-season grasses depends on the severity of the previous winter; early spring after a mild winter, and late spring or early summer after a cold one. Transitional grasses generally require fertilizing during early spring and fall.

Homeowners typically first consider grass features such as appearance, density, leaf texture, and color along with their region's climate. However, tolerance for shade, heat, and drought, disease resistance, carbon footprint, and requirements for fertility and maintenance are just as important, if not more so. Fortunately, there are several varieties in the same species of grass as well as seed mixtures of different species to give homeowners greater choices to suit their lawn's needs and their own personal preferences.