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Sanitation
and Traffic Division |
Monday
- Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (903) 784-9277 |
| Physical Address | 50 W Hickory Street |
| Contact Information |
City of Paris |
Yard waste is defined as leaves, grass clippings, brush and tree prunings. During peak months, summer and fall, yard wastes can represent as much as 25-50 percent of municipal solid waste. As a result the EPA encourages a practice referred to as “grasscycling” because it reduces the amount of waste in landfills and enhances the natural health of lawns. Grass clippings also increase the soil’s organic matter content and it’s ability to retain nutrients, resist erosion and maintain cooler temperatures during the summer heat.
A recent study at Texas A&M University found grasscycling meant an extra mowing per month but required 35 minutes less per mowing. After six months of grasscycling, homeowners who took part in the study have saved an average of seven hours of yard work.
| How to get started: | |
| STEP 1 | Make your first cuts short to clear off dead grass blades and encourage the grass to spread. |
| STEP 2 | Raise your cutting height according the the chart below, as the grass begins to grow vigorously. |
| Recommended
Mowing Heights for Lawns: Kentucky bluegrass: 1.5 to 2.5 inches Tall fescue: 2 to 3 inches Perennial ryegrass: 1.5 to 2.5 inches Bermuda grass: 0.5 to 1 inch Zoysia grass: 0.5 to 1 inch St. Augustine grass: 1.5 to 2.5 inches |
|
| STEP 3 | Don't cut off more than a third
of the grass blade at once; it's a shock to the plant. Dull mower blades
will tear and shred the tips of the grass which can provide an entry point
for disease organisms and weaken the grass plant. If your lawn looks gray
or dull after mowing and turns a straw-brown a day or two later, your
mower blade is dull and causing damage. |
| STEP 4 | Avoid mowing on hot summer days when the air quality is bad and avoid watering during the hottest part of the day. The goal of proper watering is to ensure water is being supplied to the root zone. Watering in the morning hours proves to be the most effective time of day. During the afternoon the heat causes scaling and wasteful evaporation, and watering in evenings encourages disease growth. |
Proper indication of when your lawn has had enough water is when runoff occurs, especially on slopes or on compacted, dry soils. Grass clippings are up to 85% water. When you mow frequently, the short clippings quickly decompose and release nutrients to fertilize the lawn. Grasscycling returns nearly two pounds of nitrogen to every 1,000 square feet of lawn each year. Over time, that can cut fertilizer use by up to 25%.
That can save even more time and money.
