It's an easy oversight - what harm could come from blowing grass c
lippings onto the road? However, blowing grass clippings onto the road is a bad practice for a number of reasons:
- Damp grass blown onto a gravel road can clump together and, if graded into the gravel, can aid in the formation of pot holes.
- Any vegetation blown onto the road can lead to a small amount of organic debris getting into the gravel over time. This can slow drainage from the road.
- Cumulative amounts of vegetation can impact drainage. Catch basins and storm water drains may get blocked, impacting your own lot drainage.
- Damp or wet cuttings blown on to a hard surface road can reduce the traction for vehicles and cyclists, particularly if they had to brake on the cuttings.
Instead of blowing your grass clippings on the road, leave them on your lawn. Grass clippings are good for lawns because they turn into natural fertilizer and, contrary to popular belief, do not add to thatch buildup. Clippings contain the same things as the rest of your grass – including water and the nutrients (especially nitrogen) that your lawn needs to stay healthy.
When you leave your clippings on your lawn, you give them the chance to decompose, releasing water and nutrients back into your lawn’s soil. This helps grass grow greener, healthier, and thicker. Make sure you don’t let your grass get too long before mowing, as the clippings will pile up and take longer to decompose, leaving piles of grass everywhere.
In the autumn, it is also important to remember that leaves should not be raked or blown on local roads. They pose many of the same concerns as grass clippings on roadways and have an added safety risk of children playing in the piles of leaves. They can also block catch basins, leading to localized water ponding and flooding. Have a fall leaf raking party, instead!
So whenever possible "Don't Blow It" and help improve safety and road maintenance in our community.