Should you desire a lawn that is well-kept, excellently aerated, fertile, and with the ideal moisture balance, mulch lawn mowing should be taken into consideration. Possessing the appropriate lawn mower will eliminate the need for tedious raking, as it ensures the grass cuttings are sufficiently miniscule to dry out, decompose, and be integrated into the soil promptly.
But how can you know the best mulching mower that suits your needs? In this piece, we will provide mulching mower reviews and things worth considering before purchasing one.
What is Mulching?
Mulching is the process of placing materials on the soil surface to act as a covering to achieve various goals such as moisture retention, prevent weed growth, enhance the attractiveness of your garden and also boost soil fertility through decayed organic materials.
There are different types of mulching materials you can use such as compost manure, grass clippings, newspaper, shredded leaves or even straw. What determines the kind of mulching you choose is the availability of mulching materials, type of vegetation of the soil and nature of the soil.
What is Mulch Mowing?
Another concept related to mulching is mulch mowing. This is a type of mowing that requires a system in place and mulching lawn mower. The mulching lawn mower will cut the grass to the desired height, cut the moist grass clippings into such small sizes that they almost disappear.
With mulch mowing, you have one of the cheapest ways of fertilizing your garden, reducing the need for raking and retaining moisture. You don't need to worry about a layer of thatched grass or even soil erosion, as the grass clippings act a landfill and hold the soil together.
How does a Mulching Lawn Mower Work
There are different types of mulching mowers that vary in width, mowing capabilities, cutting height, cutting system, cutting deck, engine or even grass blades. As we consider how a mulching mower works, we are looking at the standard one, with rotary blades whether it is powered by petrol or electricity.
First, there's a motor that powers the rotary blades.
Most mowers you'll drive behind but some have seats and can be driven. You can mow your lawn in different patterns including circular. Mulching mowers are ideal for large spaces of land and are driven like normal cars.
A mulching mower has a collection bag that needs regular emptying while some will spread the grass evenly, on the go.
Lawnmowers with a motor engine run on either four or two-cycle engines. The two-cycle engines use oil and petrol mixture while the four-cycle engine runs on petrol and another system for lubrication.
You can get a mulching mower fuel from DIY stores, supermarkets and even hardware. Just make sure the fuel you buy is compatible with your lawn mower for increased efficiency, functionality and durability. Read and follow the manual instructions carefully.
The motor, turns the cutting blades really fast and powerfully, meaning they can be pretty dangerous. This fast mulching blade will cut the grass as it goes over it. Most mulching mowers are designed to cut the grass into small pieces that spread on the lawn.
While the above is the working of a standard mulching lawn mower, there are some variations worth mentioning.
Nowadays, there are automatic mulching mowers, electrically powered and operated by robots. Such mowers have software to ensure every part of your garden is mowed.
An amazing part of this mowers is that they can dock themselves and recharge. You can set them on timers to mow even you are not at home. While they are quieter than most mulching mowers, they are not as powerful.
The Best Mulching Lawn Mower
1. Hyundai HYM510SPE Self Propelled Mulching Lawn Mower
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- 【Easy to Use】Special guide plate, tungsten steel ball does...
The Hyundai self-propelled mulching mower is one of the best mulching mowers available. As a self-propelled mower, it ensures ease of use, with a push-button start and a powerful petrol engine for effective mulching capabilities.
Among the best gas mowers, it is lightweight when in use courtesy of the rear wheels and four variable speeds.
It has four grass cutting options namely the side discharge, the rear discharge, the collect and drop and mulching. This makes it one of the most versatile mulching mowers and also ensures grass clippings are deposited to your grass lawn for well-aerated, hydrated and green lawn.
The Hyundai Self Propelled Lawn Mower is easy to store as you can fold the soft grip handles forward to reduce space. It comes with a 3-year warranty and is easy to manoeuvre in small spaces in your store.
Features
- Central wheel height adjustment
- Durable Hyundai engine
- Built-in safety features
- Four grass cutting options
Other Great mulching Lawn Mowers
2. WORX Mulching Lawn Mower
- [6 HEIGHT ADJUSTMENTS] A single lever lets you set the height you...
- [INTELLICUT] feature provides torque on demand for tougher...
- [SAME BATTERY, EXPANDABLE POWER] Worx Power Share is compatible...
- [MULCH OR BAG] This 2-in-1 mower lets you bag it up, or mulch...
- [BATTERY METER] The on-board battery charge indicator lets you...
Worx is one of the best overall mulching mowers because of its affordability and value for money. Worx mulching mower is battery-powered and comes with tw0 20-volt batteries with a rating of 4.0 Ah, resulting in great battery life.
It also has a compact mulching blade of 14 inches for ease of use.
This mower has three height adjustment settings of the grass cutting blade for high-level of precision during mowing.
Even better, this excellent mulching power comes with a padded and ergonomic handle that allows you to cut grass for a long time comfortably. Also, you are given a three-year warranty, to get value for your money.
Features:
- 14-inch cutting blade width
- 3-year warranty
- 40-volt electric motor
- 4.0 Ah battery life
- 3 adjustable cutting height settings
- Ergonomic and comfortable handle
- Dual-port charger for fast charging
Components:
- A Mulching mower
- Dual-port charger
- User manual
- Batteries
- Warranty card
3. Snapper Variable Speed Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with Ninja Mulching Blade
- Briggs & Stratton 850 professional Series engine with ready start...
- Rear wheel drive improves walk behind mower traction and the...
- Ninja blade features 6 powerful cutting surfaces to finer mulch...
- Rugged solid Steel front Axle and stamped Steel mower deck...
- Easily change the height of cut with the easy to use adjustment...
This is an excellent mulching mower that is self-propelled and offers a rear-wheel drive for an easy, exertion-free grass mowing experience.
This mulching mower comes with six cutting surfaces and seven cutting heights that you can choose from. For a better lawn mowing experience, raise your cutting deck than usual to allow air circulation for better spreading of the cut grass. If you are dealing with tall grass, you may need to raise the cutting deck even higher.
Features
- Professional series engine making it easy to start -no choking or priming. You just pull and go.
- Extremely rugged and stamped steel mower deck and solid front axle for extreme durability
- 6 powerful cutting surfaces
- 7 height adjusting settings to suit your grass cutting needs
4. EGO Power+ Cordless Walk Behind Lawn Mower
- Battery and Charger Not Included
- True 3-In-1 Function: Superior mulching, rear bagging and side...
- 20" Cut Capacity: Cut more grass in less time
- 600W, High-Torque, Magnetic Motor: Designed for gas like power at...
- Folds quickly and easily for compact, upright storage
Ego Power LM2000 is among the best mulching mower. It offers a battery-powered, walk-behind mowing option with its 56-volt battery system. Given that it's larger than most lawn mowers you can expect an extremely powerful and effective grass cutting experience.
It is a push mower with a 20-inch mulching blade, meaning it has a long run time and can cut grass faster without issues.
When it comes to storage, it's among the best walk-behind mowers as it folds easily to occupy minimal storage when not in use.
Ego Power+ LM2000-S battery powered mulching lawnmower also comes with a five-year warranty. Better still, it is made up of weather-resistant construction, making it quite useful even in the rainy season.
Something else that makes this mulching mower a great option is its versatility. It is designed to have three cutting modes, namely, bagging, mulching and side discharge. It contains a large grass bag for storing all the grass clippings.
Compared to most mulching mowers, this scores the best in terms of durability.
Best Features:
- 20-inch cutting width
- Foldable design for easy storage
- 56-volt electric motor
- Excellent build quality
- Up to 7.5 Ah battery life
- It has 3 cutting modes
- Supports side discharge, bagging and mulching.
- Weather-resistant construction
- 5-year warranty
Items:
- A mulching mower with front and rear wheels
- User's manual
- Warranty card
Factors to Consider Before Buying a Mulching Lawn Mower
If you want to buy the right mulching lawn mower, it is important to consider the following things:
1. Motor Power
The cutting performance of a lawn mower is dependent on motor power. You can find options 56 or 40-volt batteries, and 13 or 11 amp motors. The higher the motor power the better performance.
2. Cutting Width
It is important to know the cutting width of the lawn mower to estimate the amount of grass it cuts. Depending on the size of the garden, you can buy the mower that offers you optimum cutting experience.
You can find 14 or 18-inch mulching blades.
3. Power Type
There are different mulching lawn mowers and they use various power sources. You can get electric ones powered by batteries or plugging into the wall socket. Some of the common batteries are lithium-ion batteries.
If you have a large space that requires cutting grass you want some powered with petrol.
Types of Mulching mowers
There are usually three types of mulching mowers, depending on how the engine is powered.
1. Electric mulching mowers with a cord.
These are mulching mowers that have a long cord to plug into a wall socket to operate. If you want to cut grass in a small space, they can be ideal. In fact, there some with really long cords, and when combined with an extension cable, you can mow a large space.
2. Cordless electric mulching mowers
These mulching mowers are electric but have batteries to store power. You only need to make sure the batteries are well charged before starting the process. Works well when the power socket is far or you are mowing grass over a large surface.
Push lawn mowers powered by cordless electric powers allows ease of use and increased mulching capabilities.
3. Gas Mowers
A gas mower is non-electric mulching mower that is powered by gas, mostly petrol. There's a gas tank that you refill to power the motor which ensures the grass blades are operating optimally.
Benefits of a Mulching Mower
A mulching mower allows you enough benefits and is also good for the environment. Here are a few benefits that using a mulching mower will accord you:
Personal Benefits:
- It saves time as you don't have to empty the bag.
- It can save you money if you live in a municipality that charges extra fees to landfill yard waste.
Good for Your Garden
- Mulching reduces evaporation of moisture from the soil, keeping your lawn well moisturized and temperatures cooler for healthy grass.
- Mulching enhances soil aeration and provides a conducive environment for helpful microorganisms that maintain vegetation's health.
- Grass clippings are about 5% nitrogen and 85% water and this contributes to about 25% of the fertilizer needs of an average lawn.
- Since mulching mowers cut the grass clippings to small sizes, they maintain the attractive appearance of the lawn.
Environmental Sustainability
If you are mindful of our environment, you should consider getting a mulching mower to reduce the amount of yard waste. According to EPA, grass clippings contribute to over 30 million tones of waste per year.
Mulching means you are recycling this organic waste and enhancing the well being of the environment.
