If you already know all there is to know about mulching mowers, click here to skip straight to the comparison.
What does a mulching mower do?
Mulching lawn mowers do not have a box, and instead use a special blade that cuts the grass several times, clippings are recirculated until they become a fine mulch that is then returned to the lawn where it rapidly decomposes, putting precious nutrients back into the soil.
Why use a mulching mower?
Mowing the lawn can produce an enormous amount of grass clippings, which will either fill up your green recycling bin (if you’re lucky enough to have one), end up dumped on the compost heap, or hidden away in some out-of-sight corner.
By letting these clippings fall right back on the ground, then you are returning the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micro-nutrients right back to the soil – all these elements are critical to grass health, making your turf healthier and more able to retain moisture.
This not only saves on chemical forms of fertilizer, and so makes your garden more wildlife-friendly, but also means you have no clippings to dispose of – so no more trekking back and forth with the grass box, no more fortnightly trips to the tip in the summer, and no more piles of steaming grass left to rot.
The downside of this is that all of those good nutrients feeding your lawn will also feed the weeds, and if you like the bowling green lawn look, then this method might not be for you – the clippings can take 305 days to degrade. Grass clippings are also attractive to worms, which in turn attracts moles! So if this is a concern, it might be best to bag up the clippings as normal.
Despite what many people think, leaving a few grass clippings on the lawn will not cause thatch, but may exacerbate a pre-existing thatch problem. If you do leave clippings, make sure that is it just a light covering and they do not clump.
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Best High Budget Petrol Mulching Mower – Hayter R53S Self-propelled
- 53 cm/21 " width of cut & adjustable cutting heights (25 - 114 mm)
- Smooth Sens-a-Speed system which automatically adjusts to your walking speed
- Recycling, rear collection and side discharge capability
- Robust high quality steel deck and electric start
- 3 year manufacturers warranty
The electric start is excellent, making it easy to use – starting first time, every time, hot or cold,and the engine runs evenly and smoothly like a proud thoroughbred. Solid build quality belies a quality machine – which holds plenty of grass cuttings and leaves lawn looking very neat.
The variable speed control makes it very easy to vary your walking speed when crossing different areas of the lawn, or slowing down to lean under the apple tree, speeding up on the straights, etc, Without having to shift gears. You can just push forward on the handlebar, and the mower matches your walking speed
The Hayter R53 has a unique blanking plug that fills the chute leading from the cutting chamber to the grass box, which prevents the build up of clumps of clippings. So there is no clogging to worry about when mulching, unless the grass is wet of course – then the chute to the collector box does eventually choke.
Under normal, dry conditions, the mower can efficiently cover large areas of lawn, especially if mulching, and will even leave little stripes – even though there is no rear roller, a rubber flap between the rear wheels does create stripes that might last for a couple of days before the wind blows the blades back.
The only difficulty is that maintenance could be a little easier, no easy single lever height adjustment here – each wheel must be adjusted independently, which does require a little more effort.
The Hayter brand comes with a certain heritage, and commands a hefty price, but the quality doesn’t disappoint. This is a well-designed mulching machine which works effectively and is a pleasure to use. Strongly recommended.
Technical Specification
- 43.1 kg weight
- 53 cm cutting width
- Cutting heights from 25 – 114 mm
- ‘Sens-a-Speed’ variable speed transmission system automatically adjusts according to your walking speed
- Recycling, rear collection and side discharge capability
- Electric start
- Petrol Engine
- 3 year manufacturers warranty
- Self-propelled
Best Low Budget Petrol Mulching Mower with Bag & Striper – Frisky Fox
- 5.5HP 173cc 4 Stroke Wolf Petrol Engine with Recoil Start
- Self Propelled 20" 510mm Quad Cut 4 Blade System
- 25 - 75mm Single Lever Height Adjustment with 7 Settings
- Adjustable Speed Control
- 65L Hardtop Grass Collector
Slightly smaller than the Hayter, with a much lower asking price, the frisky fox is also very much worth considering. It’s got a nice little engine that goes well and produces a very fine mulch.
Although it doesn’t have variable speed, like the sophisticated Hayter, it does have plenty of speed settings – from snails pace, up to normal walking pace -it pulls you along with a strong tug.
The only downside is the instruction manual, which could benefit from being a bit clearer!
The Frisky Fox is a fantastic little machine for the money. Robust, reliable, and ready to rumble – this mulchy mower won’t disappoint.
Technical Specification
- Seven cutting heights between 25mm and 75mm
- 50L Grass catcher
- 5.5 Horse power, 173cc petrol 4 stroke engine
- 51 cm cutting width
- Self-propelled
- 50 Litre collection box
- Steel construction
- Lawn striper
- 35kg weight
- Special Features: 4 in 1 – Side Discharge, Rear Discharge, Cut & Collect and Mulching
Best Cordless Electric Mulching Mower – Rotak Multi-Mulch
- Re-feeds lawn clippings back into the lawn
- Allows effective fertilisation and adds nutrients into the lawn
- Eliminates the need to collect clippings and empty the grassbox
- Creates a down-draft which pushes clippings into the grass
- The only system to vacate grass clippings from the bowl
If you want an electric mulching mower, your best bet is buying a Bosch rotak that is compatible with this attachment. This gives you the freedom to choose between corded or cordless.
The attachment works well, especially when the grass is dry – but of course not so good when the grass is wet as the clippings form clumps that need spreading into the lawn with a rake or a blower.
Don’t set it too low either, you want to cut only about a third of the grass – then it will feed the finely chopped grass back into your lawn with minimal visual disruption.
For electric mower fans, this attachment can help you restore some mulchy goodness to your lawn.
Getting the Most out of Your Mulching Mower
Even if you have chosen the best mulching mower for your garden, a top-of-the range premium machine, you still need to educate yourself on how to use it.
And even though mowing with mulcher is generally quicker – and should save you around 30 percent of your mowing time by skipping those trips to empty the grass bin – you still need to follow these top tips to make sure you are giving your lawn the best possible treatment.
1. The one-third rule
Don’t cut more than the top third off the grass. Unless the grass is extremely long, in which case you will need to go over it twice. Even the best mulching mowers can’t cope with an overload, and you may end up with large chunks of grass instead of a fine mulch.
2. Don’t cut so often
Leave grass a little longer than you would if you were disposing of clippings. This helps retain moisture. Mulching mowers are generally not designed for a close cut.
3.Water afterwards, not before
Don’t water the lawn before you mow it. Mowing wet grass is never a good idea, but with a mulching mower it will cause all those clippings to stick everywhere. And you will get a terrible quality cut. Soaking the lawn after mulching will help the mulch to settle on the lawn
4. Reduce fertiliser
All of the lawn clippings contain a lot of nitrogen, potash and phosphate to help keep your lawn healthy – so cut down the fertilising!
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