I bag mostly. I do mulch once or twice a month to feed the worms though.

I cut my grandmothers lawn and she refuses to allow me to mulch. She claims that if you don't bag it, it brings grass clippings into the house.

I still have a weed issue nearly every Spring no matter how I much I try to avoid it. Since that's my case, I always bag those first few mowings of the year. I also have a poa annua issue during that time and mulch mowing that junk while seeds are in full force will definitely spread it. Once May rolls around though and things are getting in control, I move to mulch mowing every single time for the rest of the year. When I finally learn better pre-emergence techniques then I'll move to mulch mowing the entire year.

Reeljake I know you have Bermuda as do I. Is there any particular reason you don't mulch mow more often? It seems the common worry is thatch.

With the possible exception of the first mow of the season, if the grass gets out of hand before I can get around to cutting it, I pretty much never bag it. That's mostly because it's a pain to do so, takes me much longer, and then I have to haul the bags to the curbside. As for thatch, I don't think that's caused at all by mulching clippings. Thatch is the accumulation of roots and stems that accumulate faster than they can decompose into the soil.

Grass is relatively high in protein and is considered a "green" in composting. That's why it gets steaming hot in the trash bag. Protein is converted to nitrogen and plant food by the microbes in the soil, so you can consider grass to be an organic fertilizer that you apply every week. As far as pounds of nitrogen applied the weekly number would be pretty small, but it adds up over the course of a mowing season.

I don't even own a bag. Mine went to Goodwill. Living in the country on the edge of a green belt, I have plenty of noxious weeds, but they get mowed down.

I would not say I get thatch anymore with this method, but it is more of a concern with Bermuda. I prefer my green grass on a brown dirt background--When I mulch, I see too much of a straw color between the blades & it bothers me. Simply a cosmetic preference for me. I feed with a lot of organics, so I don't worry too much about wasting the clippings.

You have Bermuda in new Jersey? That is awesome! Or did I misread that?

jake, not sure if you were addressing me or David, but I don't think anybody mentioned bermuda in NJ.

I'll mulch most of the time to save time and space in the yard waste bin, plus it adds organic matter to the soil. But I'll bag after a windstorm that leaves pine cones, pine needles, and other misc debris on the grass. Sometimes I'll also bag if the grass is too long, or if its the first mow of the season. Bagging has been around long before mulching ever became popular, so maybe that's why so many still do it regularly... Old habits die hard.

I just shake my head and laugh at my neighbors. They bag all clipping and send them to the landfill, then pay someone to spread organic fertilizer. I've mentioned that they could just mulch mow and cut out the middle man, but apparently that is just the ways their dads taught them to take care of the lawn.

Old habits do die hard :-)