If you have the hybrid (sodded) bermuda, those clippings take forever to break down. I have contemplated using it as mulch and think it would do well as long as it wasn't piled on too much. The same goes for any mulch you use. As long as it's not the common (seeded) bermuda, where you might have viable seeds in the clippings you won't have to worry about it sprouting up in your beds. Then again, you could have a number of other weed seeds in with your clippings that you might be introducing to your planting beds. I think Fescue clippings break down too fast to be effective mulch.

I really don't think that grass clippings make a good mulch at all. Period. When applied in a large heap, they become hot as they begin the rapid break down process....and plants do NOT like that heat. Too, as QQ mentions, they break down too fast to be useful as 'mulch'. AND, you are correct that if you continue to pile it on week after week, you will end up with quite a sludgy mess in the underlayers. There isn't much that smells worse than piles of decomposing grass.

A mulch is a (preferably organic) layer that is applied on top of the soil to modify temperatures, to maintain soil moisture, etc. It should be as long lasting as possible, and should be something that does not create a nitrogen insufficiency as it slowly begins to decompose.

Mixing grass clippings with chopped up leaves would be a much better idea, but the best plan of all would be to leave the clippings on the grass, where they can break down and continue to give back to the soil. Any reason why you don't want to do that this year?

I have the same problem. My husband likes to pile the bermuda and fescue frass clipping as mulch to keep the weeds down where our grass meet the woods...its fine and dandy, but it gets really hot (can smolder), takes forever to decompsose, leaves a sludgy mess (I discovered this when I tried to rake it out), and kills plants. Now after about a year or so...ornamental trees will can be planted where the old mulch is as long as its mixed with dirt and leaves...very rich soil...I planted some dormant ornamental trees in this type of stuff... within 4 days they started to get leaves on them, and are twice the size they were when I planted them.

Thanks to all. I think I'll use a light layer of the grass clippings, mixed with leaves.

As to why I'm not leaving the clippings on the grass, all I can say is that it's hard enough to get the teenager to cut the grass, let alone blow the clippings off the sidewalk...