When we talk about mulching lawn mowers we are referring to a special type of mower that recycles your grass clippings and turns them into a natural fertiliser that you can use to keep your lawn healthy. To do this these mowers implement a different deck design and a specially designed cutting blade. The deck is usually deeper than on a normal mower, which creates a vacuum that sucks the grass up and suspends the clippings in the air after they've been cut. These clippings are then blown around the deck and put through the cutting cycle several more times to create ultra fine clippings, which can also be called mulch.
As you'll see if you read through some of our mulching lawn mower reviews, many of mowers nowadays are multi-functional, offering the ability to mulch in addition to bagging and discharging your clippings. Not all models will offer the mulching option though, so be sure to check this.
Our Mulching Lawn Mower Reviews
Mulching mowers can be separated into a few different sub-categories depending on the features they possess. We've sorted our reviews into a couple of different groups for your convenience.
Still sitting on the fence about whether a mulching mower is the right choice for your yard? Below we're going to quickly talk you through some of the main advantages and drawbacks of mulching lawn mowers to try and help you get things clearer in your mind.
Advantages of Mulching Lawn Mowers
They Produce Free, Natural Fertilizer for Your Lawn
As we mentioned earlier, the design of a mulching mower's deck and blade lead to grass clippings being cut multiple times and the end result is a very fine mulch being deposited across the surface of your lawn. This breaks down quickly and acts as a natural fertilizer, passing vital nutrients to your grass and improving its health.
Helps to Insulate Your Lawn
This is equally as important to the health of the grass as the nutrients we just mentioned. The thin layer of mulch that one of these mowers will leave on your lawn insulates the grass and prevents moisture from evaporating. And I don't think we have to tell you that a moist lawn is a healthy lawn!
No Time Spent Emptying Grass Catcher
Depending on the size of your yard, this is a task that can add a considerable amount of time to your mowing. Every time that catcher fills up, you've got to take it off, walk it to your compost heap or waste container, dump it, then put it back on. It breaks your momentum, interrupts your flow. But with a mulching mower you fire it up and keep on walking until you're done and dusted.
Lighter and Easier to Push Without the Catcher
Grass catchers are great, but there's no denying that as they fill, your mower gets heavier and heavier. And on some models when the catcher is full, the whole mower tips backwards. This makes it very hard to control. With a mulching mower you avoid this problem, and the lighter load means they're often easier to maneuver around your lawn.
You Normally Still Have the Option to Bag
Mulching mowers are normally multi-functional, meaning you have the option to bag or discharge your clippings too on most models. However, a lot of regular bagging models don't offer mulching. What we're trying to say is that mulching mowers usually give you lots of options and you can adapt according to the needs of your lawn.
Cons of Mulching Lawn Mowers
You Need to Mow More Frequently
For a mulching mower to do its things and be effective, you need to keep on top of your maintenance and cut more regularly. Otherwise you will end up with mulch that is not fine enough, which could do more harm than good to your lawn. This might not be convenient if you're often pushed for time and your opportunities to cut your lawn are limited.
Shouldn't Really Be Used on Long Grass
For the reasons we've just mentioned in point #1, mulching mowers aren't really designed for use on longer grass. So if your lawn is frequently overgrown, a mulching mower might not be the best option.
Extra Feature, Extra Cost
The mulching capability is a sort of premium add-on that a basic entry level mower won't have. And that add-on comes at added cost. So if you're looking for a mower on a tight budget, you might want to give mulching mowers a miss.