Clippings don't usually contribute to thatch, but they can with some Zoysia grasses (maybe a few other warm season grasses, also).

I only bag my clippings if I'm scalping the lawn in preparation for seeding. I've never had fungus problems, though. That could be a legitimate reason to bag clippings. If you only bag them every once in a while, maybe you could just rake them up instead of using the bagger. I do that, but my lawn may be much smaller than yours.

I would never consider removing the nitrogen rich and H2O laden grass clipping from my lawn. I mulch everything I can get back into my grass. In the fall All the leaves go back. Lawn soil is best with lots of organic material down there. Don't throw it away.

I think what I'm going to do is get the bagger anyway just so I have it. When the red thread started I really wished that I had one so I wasn't deposited the clippings back on the lawn. As I said too, I had a really hard time mulching leaves last year. It was more of a mess than a help, so the bag could come in handy there, especially with doing cleanups in the spring.

I just wonder if I should step up my mowing schedule to every 4 or 5 days rather than every 7 just to make sure that I'm cutting off enough to efficiently mulch.

What kind of grass do you have? Zoysia, Bent and certain Bermuda varieties he is on target under certain conditions.

If the bag is going to come in handy for cleanup when the mower isn't quite doing the task, go for it. You could always compost them (or take them to your city compost) so they don't end up in a landfill.

If, when you mow, you aren't getting drifts of clippings lying on top of the lawn, you're fine. As mentioned above, Zoysia doesn't care for it, but most other grasses don't have thatch issues from mulching. If anything, it helps reduce any thatch issues slightly by depositing stuff the bacteria like right in the thatch layer.

Stepping back to 4 or 5 days between mowings sounds great if you can do it. If you can't, I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you're cutting off more than 1/3 of the blade at a time. I have to mow every second or third day (on the old lawn...the new, we'll see).

Basically, you aren't going to need a bagger 90%+ of the time. However, once or twice a year, you will probably run across a situation where you would want to bag. One time would be if you cut the lawn lower than normal before seeding. You are going to have to rake up the area anyway, so you may as well make it easier by bagging. Another time would be if you had a fungal problem. The most common would be if you go on vacation and come back to a foot tall lawn.

I'm in MA so I have I believe I combination of Rye, Fescue and Bluegrass.

I'm in MA so I have I believe I combination of Rye, Fescue and Bluegrass.

Then your Lesco rep is a moran, mulch it.

Yeah, I'm going to go with my gut and mulch it most of the time. I'm just having a hard time deciding if I should get the bagger now in case I should ever need it.

If this helps, I bought a bagger mower. I never use the bagger. I tried to justify it by saying the same as you. Truth is I never use it so it was a waste. I wish I had bought a mower with the bigger wheels (push mower) in the back rather than the bagger.

A bagger is great for things like when your yard gets papered @ Haloween, when your Daughter is naughty and boys take revenge, picking up autum leaves, ocassional material for a compost pile, etc. Normally just mulch your lawn with your type of grass as it will benefit greatly. Just remember to mow HIGH, mulch mow, and things will work out great.

Peace be with you.

TW

i thought about buying a bagger for my mower, then i realized tha tit takes long enough to cut as it is, if i had to stop every other lap to empty the bagger i would likely burn it before the first cutting was done.

I had a bagger years ago but stopped using it. Now I mulch mow which includes about 6" of leaves during the fall. My lawn improved dramatically when I stopped bagging.

Another alternative to a bagger is a sweeper. Most sweepers are easier to store, less expensive, and do a better job of picking up sticks, pine cones, and other yard debris.

-Deerslayer

I'm in MA so I have I believe I combination of Rye, Fescue and Bluegrass.

Then your Lesco rep is a moran, mulch it.

Blunt, but completely correct. ;-) Rye, fescue, and bluegrass benefit greatly from mulch mowing. So does your fertilizer budget as you can cut it back 30% if you mulch-mow.

I decided against the bagger, so I called the store up and canceled the order. I already decided that regardless of what the guy at Lesco says, it is better for me to mulch mow, and right now I shouldn't be plunking down about $300 on something I may only use twice a year. I'd probably only use it in the spring for cleanup and if I had a red thread problem again next year, but it's not worth it. If I can water correctly next year unlike the beginning of this year before I got my irrigation system, and fertilize on schedule, it shouldn't be a big problem. I usually also hire a guy to do cleanups in the spring because aside from driving the mower around to suck up leaves, sticks, and pinecones, I still have a hard time raking and doing other additional cleanup things due to a disability, so I'd have to have someone come out anyway.

The nagging doubt is still in the back of my mind, but I'm glad that I just saved myself a few hundred bucks.

I just mow it and leave it.
Cheap Quick Easy and Simple.
No problems after 41 years of doing it this way!
Not gonna change it now.