A grass question, country moved to town type..

[greybeard]

Here, we are supposed to bag up any grass clippings in those paper bags you see sold at home depot/lowes/ace hardware etc. NOT in plasticleaf bags. I don't know why..I don't get to make the rules. . I only use the mower's bagger attachment in the area around the swimming pool to keep cuttings from blowing into the pool, but they only pick up that kind of trash once every other week. I usually end up with at least one full bag of green grass cuttings stored for over a week and this year, the cuttings are green and full of water. I kept the 1st couple of bags in the garage since it's been raining so much, but the odor was so bad we couldn't stand it. They are only in there less than 10-12 days. Also made us feel bad. Lately, I've put one in my little storage building/shop and when I walk in, the odor or gas drives me out so I quickly grab the bag and set it outside if it's sunny.
Not mine, but they are just like this.


My question:
Does/can green decaying grass off gas something volatile/toxic/dangerous that can make me dizzy or is it just the nasty smell of rotting vegetation?
(I truly hate 'almost' every aspect of living here, but the weather and people are great)

 

[Buck Randall]

The answer to your question is yes, but I'm not sure if a bag of grass clippings would produce enough gas to be dangerous.

Silo Gas and Silo-Filler’s Disease

Silo Gas and Silo-Filler's Disease Safety Notes Increased nitrates as a result of the dry growing season are a concern not only for livestock bu

fyi.extension.wisc.edu

 

[gman4691]

Would you be able to put a cover on your discharge chute letting the blade just chop it up...then leave it? I've had good luck doing that on lawns...especially lawns that have "weak" soil. A kind of poor man's mulching/compost. And wet grass can definitely start stinking within a few days. If you can let it dry out some before bagging it, that would help some. Some say spreading newspaper and or cardboard in the bottom of you container helps...if it is allowable where you are.

 

[greybeard]

Would you be able to put a cover on your discharge chute letting the blade just chop it up...then leave it? I've had good luck doing that on lawns...especially lawns that have "weak" soil. A kind of poor man's mulching/compost. And wet grass can definitely start stinking within a few days. If you can let it dry out some before bagging it, that would help some. Some say spreading newspaper and or cardboard in the bottom of you container helps...if it is allowable where you are.

The constant here is.....wind. Tried using the mulching blade and plug (I still do elsewhere in the yard) but around the pool, the supposedly mulched in grass cuttings still blow all over the place and into the water, where it quickly starts turning the sides and bottom green as well as plugging up the skimmer baskets...Yeah, I know...1st world problems)

 

[gman4691]

The constant here is.....wind. Tried using the mulching blade and plug (I still do elsewhere in the yard) but around the pool, the supposedly mulched in grass cuttings still blow all over the place and into the water, where it quickly starts turning the sides and bottom green as well as plugging up the skimmer baskets...Yeah, I know...1st world problems)

Understood...never owned a pool...not aware of issues with them but I can see where that would be a problem...out of curiosity, why are you required to bag up your grass cuttings (local ordinance, HOA)?

 

[SBMF 2015]

Round Up would solve this problem

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

People dumping grass clippings over a fence have killed horses.

 

[shaz]

Here, we are supposed to bag up any grass clippings in those paper bags you see sold at home depot/lowes/ace hardware etc. NOT in plasticleaf bags. I don't know why..I don't get to make the rules. . I only use the mower's bagger attachment in the area around the swimming pool to keep cuttings from blowing into the pool, but they only pick up that kind of trash once every other week. I usually end up with at least one full bag of green grass cuttings stored for over a week and this year, the cuttings are green and full of water. I kept the 1st couple of bags in the garage since it's been raining so much, but the odor was so bad we couldn't stand it. They are only in there less than 10-12 days. Also made us feel bad. Lately, I've put one in my little storage building/shop and when I walk in, the odor or gas drives me out so I quickly grab the bag and set it outside if it's sunny.
Not mine, but they are just like this.
View attachment 30281

My question:
Does/can green decaying grass off gas something volatile/toxic/dangerous that can make me dizzy or is it just the nasty smell of rotting vegetation?
(I truly hate 'almost' every aspect of living here, but the weather and people are great)

It can get putrid and smell like fresh pig shinola early on but needs a little more carbon. It's compost in my book.
Just my biological ignorance on display

 

[GoWyo]

Now that you're a city slicker, haul it out of town and dump it along the county road.

 

[bird dog]

Your local dump needs this stuff so they can harvest methane.

 

[50/50Farms]

Here, we are supposed to bag up any grass clippings in those paper bags you see sold at home depot/lowes/ace hardware etc. NOT in plasticleaf bags. I don't know why..I don't get to make the rules. . I only use the mower's bagger attachment in the area around the swimming pool to keep cuttings from blowing into the pool, but they only pick up that kind of trash once every other week. I usually end up with at least one full bag of green grass cuttings stored for over a week and this year, the cuttings are green and full of water. I kept the 1st couple of bags in the garage since it's been raining so much, but the odor was so bad we couldn't stand it. They are only in there less than 10-12 days. Also made us feel bad. Lately, I've put one in my little storage building/shop and when I walk in, the odor or gas drives me out so I quickly grab the bag and set it outside if it's sunny.
Not mine, but they are just like this.
View attachment 30281

My question:
Does/can green decaying grass off gas something volatile/toxic/dangerous that can make me dizzy or is it just the nasty smell of rotting vegetation?
(I truly hate 'almost' every aspect of living here, but the weather and people are great)

Green grass when contained in non ventilated conditions goes to rot and sours very quickly. Grasses have different compositions based off of the time of year. This time of year some are very high in fermentable matter. Yes, it is very possible to have grass stink you out. My mom moved to town and I cut her grass when I can and she sometimes puts the lawnmower and bag up "wet" in her garage if I forget to empty it, lending to me picking out a mouldy, fermented mass when I come back. This is one of those times of year as mentioned.

 

[greybeard]

Understood...never owned a pool...not aware of issues with them but I can see where that would be a problem...out of curiosity, why are you required to bag up your grass cuttings (local ordinance, HOA)?

No HOA.
the rules came with signing up for water/trash/garbage pickup. It's a package deal. Ya turn down one, you opt out for all. That would quickly turn into a really sh***y deal.

(Pay attention Nesi..and everyone else.. )

 

[farmerjan]

Is there anyway you can do your own composting of them for use in the flower beds? I don't have any answers except to collect what you absolutely have to around the pool and then use as "mulch" or something around the flowers.... they will break down if you can "bury them" under any bark or wood chip mulch.

 

[50/50Farms]

The expensive answer is that there's a grass clippings to sileage converter made by an outfit out of Wyoming, you could always sell overpriced sileage to the ranchetters outside of town

 

[Ouachita]

When you wake up to pee at 0200, carry the bag over and spread it in the neighbors yard. You can tinkle and sprinkle at the same time.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

If you sprinkle when you tinkle don't be naughty wipe the potty.

 

[Travlr]

Here, we are supposed to bag up any grass clippings in those paper bags you see sold at home depot/lowes/ace hardware etc. NOT in plasticleaf bags. I don't know why..I don't get to make the rules. . I only use the mower's bagger attachment in the area around the swimming pool to keep cuttings from blowing into the pool, but they only pick up that kind of trash once every other week. I usually end up with at least one full bag of green grass cuttings stored for over a week and this year, the cuttings are green and full of water. I kept the 1st couple of bags in the garage since it's been raining so much, but the odor was so bad we couldn't stand it. They are only in there less than 10-12 days. Also made us feel bad. Lately, I've put one in my little storage building/shop and when I walk in, the odor or gas drives me out so I quickly grab the bag and set it outside if it's sunny.
Not mine, but they are just like this.
View attachment 30281

My question:
Does/can green decaying grass off gas something volatile/toxic/dangerous that can make me dizzy or is it just the nasty smell of rotting vegetation?
(I truly hate 'almost' every aspect of living here, but the weather and people are great)

Having retired and moved to town (Thank Gawd it's small) several years ago, I'll share my lawn experience and you can take it or leave it.

The people around here either hyper manage their grass... or they park on the dirt surrounding their house. There doesn't seem to be any happy medium. Well... except me. I don't overwater, and I especially don't fertilize. I cut my grass taller than anyone and let the clippings lay so they mulch the grass. Net effect? Nicest lawn in my neighborhood with the least effort. The lady across the street with the hundred dollars a week lawn service and sprinkler system, that waters several times a week for hours at a time and fertilizes faithfully has bare spots and brown spots. And the bigger her brown spots get, the more she waters.

So here is my takeaway... why do people fertilize if it means they have to mow more often? And get so much clippings that they have to pick them up? Why water constantly if it either damages the lawn or means you have to mow weekly? I mow every two weeks.

The lady across the street has asked me about my lawn, searching for secrets. When I tell her she looks at me like I'm lying and walks back home to open another bag of fertilizer. (Kidding, she has the lawn service do it.)

 

[Ouachita]

We have a lawn mower but don't use it often. When my wife is gone to town, I turn the cows in to munch the grass. Then turn them back out and let the chickens in to clean up after the cows. Circle of life and all..............

 

[CowboyRam]

We have a lawn mower but don't use it often. When my wife is gone to town, I turn the cows in to munch the grass. Then turn them back out and let the chickens in to clean up after the cows. Circle of life and all..............

Now that is using your head. Work smarter, not harder.

 

[greybeard]

So here is my takeaway... why do people fertilize if it means they have to mow more often? And get so much clippings that they have to pick them up?

I wouldn't pick 'em up (and don't for all the front and side yard and 1/2 the back yard) if it weren't for the pool area. I'm not required to pick em up, just required to put 'em in paper bags and set by the curb by themselves instead being thrown in the regular trash cans. They get picked up by a different truck. I put some in the regular can once, and got a nastygram from the city. The pick up is automated with a hydro/mechanical arm but the driver/operator watches what comes out of the can thru a video camera. The garbage man never gets his hands dirty nowadays. The lawn clipping/big limbs truck is similar, with a clamshell bucket that picks up the bags and limbs. Then there is a different truck that picks up the green can that has only metals and certain plastics etc in it. (they don't 'recycle' glass, cloth or paper stuff here.)