Mulching lawns in Seattle, can it be done?

[siclmn]

I have a 21 Honda with a mulching blade. When I try to mulch a lawn it always looks messy and when I am done the deck will be clogged with grass. Would I be better off with a mower that came with a mulching deck to begin with? Or is it just too wet up here.

[Scag48]

Boy, I haven't been on here in a while! It's good to be back and posting. Anyway, on with the answer. It really depends on how wet the grass is. There's supposed to be a drought (sp?) this summer so I guess we'll see. If there was some way of getting a set of blades that did both for Honda so that you could switch back and forth from mulching to bagging, I'd buy a Honda in a second! I was concerned that Honda wouldn't mulch well with a bagging blade and wouldn't bag well with a mulching blade. What I'm getting at is that I don't want to change the blades all the time. I guess I'm lazy...

[Eric ELM]

Scag48, where have you been? We haven't heard from you in ages. ;)

[Lee Homan]

Try using your honda with the mulch blades and the rear discharge chute that can be purchased for about $25.00. I've encountered the same problem with mine and went to this set-up and I've have been pleased with the results. It doesn't exactly force the clippings back into the ground but with the mulch blades installed you hardly notice them.

[Scag48]

Eric-I dunno, kinda caught up in other stuff, I suppose. LOL. I wish I was on vacation the whole time though!

[Paradise Yard Service]

I don't have a big problem with wet grass sticking when mulching w my HRC 216 but it has happened on occassion. My Honda does a fair job of mulching and I was hoping a Gator blade would fit and found out no such animal exists for my model. You can bag with the mulching blade and sometimes with better results as the bagger blade tends to push certain material out away from deck requiring double mow or slow down the blade speed to adjust.
Hope this helps.
Aloha,
P.Y.S.

[Acute Cut]

Scag: Welcome back. Long time no see. You ready for the upcoming season i hope.

[powerreel]

I even mulched today in the first rain in awhile. I mow short and use a reel. I think you may be out of luck with a rotary lawnmower with mulching wet grass. Keep your blades sharp. Scag you should have bought my MIDMOWER it just sold!
We all should have a Washington State "say hi" @ a regional brewery! Anyone been over Hiway 20 yet?

[Mr.Ziffel]

My nine year old did a science fair project last year called "GreenerGrass". For 30 days he measured grass growth every day and over that period we averaged 5" - 6" of growth a week! I usually mow on Tuesdays and Fridays just to keep up and believe me there's no way to mulch that kind of growth!

Dealers have told me that the only way to mulch here is to cut no more than 1" off at a time especially when wet and that's only if you've got a good mulching deck like some of the John Deere's which have counter-rotating blades. I do know of one hospital in Everett which uses this setup but they mow two to three times a week!

In the past I've used a diesel JD F935 which eventually was just haying the fields. There was build up to the point where it looked pretty bad. This year I've gone to the Exmark Lazer 60", cut more often and bag about every third cut. So far I'm surviving the spring but I'm thinking about investing in a couple of gallons of growth regulator!

I've been to the brew pub in LaConner but don't usually hang around in them. Maybe we could have a mow-off and see who's machine cuts the best--I've got plenty of area to use for the competition! Will M.

[Acute Cut]

Mr. Ziffle:
Great idea on the competition. I only have one real big concern though. What should i do when your customer approaches me after the competition and asks me to take over the contract because i did the best job?

Unless it is POURING down rain i can always mulch. I was doing it today in the 40 mph winds and pouring rain till i saw the lightening. Then i packed it up and spent the next two hours in the shop cleaning and waxing the machinery. Are you using doubles Mr. Ziffle? Go gators on the bottom and the exmark mulchers on top. If you cant mulch with that then there is something really wrong. I did a 10" lawn a few weeks ago and after two times over it i could NOT tell i mulched at all. It looked totally bagged.

[toddco]

Acute Cut, Are you using the Exmark baffles and discharge blocker with your doubles? or just side discharge?

My two mowers are a honda 21" and exmark 48", both with the mfg's mulch kit. I agree with Ziffle that the only reliable solution is to cut often and cut little per pass. Otherwise the mower drops softball sized clumps of goo every 15 feet that end up smothering the grass and leaving a dead spot.

Also, I've had very poor results cutting below 3.5". The mowers just clog and then bog down. Last weekend I made three passes, each progressively shorter, to get to 2.5" and it was still almost impossible.

[Scag48]

Acute Cut-Yeah, I'm ready. Just need a new mower though. I'm trading my little riding lawnmower to my grandpa for his Toro that bags and mulches. Seems like a good trade. And, I can keep my equipment at his house since I don't live in town. I'm gonna shift gears a bit this year and lean a bit more into landscaping. I've got a couple jobs lined up already! We should have some sort of Washington guys "party". I think it would be great. I've got a cabin on Camano Island, I'll see if we could get together next time I head up that way. Later guys.

[Mr.Ziffel]

Acute, I've used many combinations of Gator and Exmark mulching blades along with regular, both on top and bottom. If it's not too wet or too long [about 3" cut max] it works pretty good. I also cut some 10-12" stuff the other day but just in some long narrow cross-fenced areas so I could achieve that finished look by blowing it out into the pastures. I find that when I need to cut a large area in the way you describe that no matter what the blade combination I get occasional clumps dropping or blowing out. When run over by the wheels they leave a flat spot which another pass will NOT pick up. I also get the wheels packed with clippings and that drops out too. How about when you engage or dis-engage the blades, don't you get clumps flying off? The best solution I've found so far is lower lift blades and to bag every so often. I like everything about bagging except emptying them so I don't do it too often.

Scag, If you're going to Camano you pass within 3 miles of me so bring your equipment and we'll let 'er rip! Will

[65hoss]

I like my little honda 21", but it doesn't compare to the mulching of the exmarks. From what I've heard about your area, I would not bet on anything mulching real well.

[powerreel]

I say we have a road rally and drive mowers over Washington Pass and photograph it for Lawn Site. Get a reel and you can mulch the grass in the rain. Tommorow I will mow and post some photos and you can see how good it does it and hor short you can go.