[caferacer]

Are grass cuttings suitable as a mulch for a hedge(Escallonia Iveyii/Macrantha and Privet)?I have a half acre site and usually compost the cuttings but can they be used to keep the weeds down on my hedges?If so how often?I hear so many conflicting opinions....

[Good guy]

By all means use the clippings this way BUT don't get the closer than 2" to the stems of the plants or the heat of decomposition might 'burn' the hedge plants or you could cause fungal diseases. I have often used grass clippings in this way - last year I mulched my runner beans and courgettes with them, to conserve water as much as to stop weeds. As for how often to mulch with them, use common sense - you don't want the mulch to reach the lowest branches.

[James Kilkelly]

Similar answer from myself...

Grass clippings can be used for weed control at the base of your hedges, whilst retaining moisture and adding organic matter/nutrients to the soil.
For best results spread no more than an inch or two depth of weed free clippings at the base of the hedge, avoiding its main stems. Do not add any more clippings until the previous batch has broken down.

I wrote a piece on the topic before...... Click this.. What to do with grass clippings in Ireland.