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Middle Tennessee and North Alabama landscapes are a sight to see in the fall. From the slopes of Sand Mountain to Bankhead National Forest and across the Cumberland Plateau, our area’s deciduous trees transformation from green to gold is spectacular.
But the trees in our own yards leave many homeowners wondering if they should mulch their leaves – and if so, how to do it right. This guide answers that question and includes a complete list mulch kits to turn your John Deere into a mulching lawn mower.
Looking for mulching blades?
Should You Mulch Your Leaves?
The short answer is yes – you should mulch your leaves.
Alabama A&M and Auburn University Extension said it best – leaving the leaves is best for insects and wildlife. Leaves provide crucial habitat for insects like native bees, moths and butterflies.
But leaving a thick layer of leaves spread across your lawn may cut off oxygen to the soil surface and damage your grass. Shredding, or mulching, those leaves allows oxygen and moisture to circulate across the soil’s surface – giving you the best of both worlds. Plus, the leaves serve as a natural source of nutrients that fertilize your lawn as they decompose.
One other consideration for folks in the hillier areas of Middle Tennessee and North Alabama – shredded and spread out leaves can help prevent erosion from the heavy rainfalls we see in the winter months. If your property is anything like mine, unmulched leaves accumulate and stop up downhill drainage channels for rainfall, causing the water to divert across trails and driveways.
How to Mulch Your Leaves
You don’t need a dedicated mulcher to take care of your leaves in the fall. A few quick steps will turn your regular mower or tractor with belly mower into a mulching lawn mower.
- Pick the right day: wet leaves won’t shred. Wait until the leaves are dry. If they’ve blown into piles, spread them out across the lawn.
- Set up your mower:
- If you want to mulch in as few passes as possible, install mulching blades on your mower. Check out our guide to lawn mower blades here: https://www.trigreenequipment.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-different-types-of-lawn-mower-blades/
- Block the discharge chute with a mulch plug or close the discharge baffle if your mower is equipped with a MulchControl Kit
- Set your deck height to near the top 1/3 of your grass height – this will allow you to mulch the leaves without scalping your lawn
- If you have a bagger attachment installed on your mower, remove it, unless you plan to collect the mulched leaves and use them on flower beds or around trees
- When you’re ready to mow, throttle up for maximum blade speed
Guide to John Deere Lawn Mowers and Mulchers
Depending on your mower, John Deere offers a variety of options to set your lawn mower up for mulching. Explore MulchControl kits, mulch covers, and mulching blade compatibility by model below.
MulchControl™ Kits
Quickly convert between mulching and side-discharging. Depending on the kit, a MulchControl handle or one-touch electric switch is used to open and close the discharge baffle.
When the MulchControl baffle is open, you’re discharging grass clippings and leaves out of the mower deck. When it’s closed, material stays inside the deck and is chopped into mulch, then deposited back onto the turf. Even when the baffle is open in side discharge mode, about 1/3 of the material gets mulched.
- BM24794: 42” decks on the X350R, X380, Z335M, X330, X354, X584, Z345M, X350, X370, X335E, and Z345R
- BUC10705: 48” decks on the S220, S240, X330, X350, X380, X384, X390, X394, X570, X580, X584, X590, X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, Z754, X758, X940, X948, X949, Z325E, Z330M, Z330R, Z355E, Z335R, Z365R, Z515E,Z525E, Z530M, Z535M, Z540M
- BUC10706: 54” decks on the X380, X384, X390, X570, X580, X584, X590, Z325E, Z330M, Z330R, Z375R, Z380R Electric, Z515E, Z525E, Z530M, Z535M, Z540M
- BM26300: 54” decks on the X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, X754, X758, X940, X948, X949, Z535R, Z540R, Z625, Z655, Z665
- BM25258: 60” decks on the X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, X754, X758, X940, X948, X949, Z540R, Z665
- BUC10164: electric MulchControl for 42” decks on X330, X350, X354, and X370
- BUC10165: electric MulchControl for 48” decks on X330, X350, X354, X370, X380, X384, X390, X394, X570, X580, X584, and X590
- BUC10166: electric MulchControl for 54” decks on X380, X384, X390, X394, X570, X580, X584, and X590
Mulch Kits
The mulch kit creates individual cutting chambers for precise grass or leaf mulching. Kit includes a mulch plug and high-performance mulching blades. This is a more affordable option than a MulchControl Kit, though it will need to be fully removed to return to side-discharge mowing.
Riding Lawn Tractors:
BM25257: X350R
BM21816: 42” decks on 102, 115, 125, 135, D100, D105, D110, D120, D125, D130, E100, E110, E120, E130, L100, LA100, LA105, LA110, LA115, LA120, LA125, LA135, LT150, LT160, LT180, S100, S110, S120, S130, S240, SST15, SST16, X105, X106, X107, X110, X120, X125, X126, X127, X300, X304, X310, X500, X520, Z225, Z235
BG20304: 54” decks on 190C, D170, E180, G110, L100, LA150, LA175, S180
BM23977: 54” decks on 1023E, 1025R, 1026R, 2025R, 2026R, 2038R, X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, X754, X758, X940, X948, X949, Z445, Z535R, Z540R, Z625, Z655
BM23978: 60” decks on 1023E, 1025R, 1026R, 2025R, 2026R, 3033R, 3038R, 3039R, 3045R, 3046R, X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, X754, X758, X940, X948, X949, Z540R, Z545R, Z665
BM20007: 48” decks on 335, 345, GT235, GX255, GX325, GX335, GX345, GX355, LT150, LT166, LT180, LT190, LX280, LX289, MC519, SST15, SST18, X300, X304, X310, X320, X324, X360, X475, X500, X520, X534, X540, X590, X700, X710, X730, X734, X738, X739, X750, X754, X758, Z425, Z435, Z445
Residential Zero Turn Mowers:
BM23975: 48” decks on Z540R, Z545R, Z645
BM23977: 54” decks on Z535R and Z540R
BM23978: 60” deck on Z540R
BM21890: 62” deck on Z535M and Z540M
Mulch Covers
The Mulch Cover keeps material under the mower deck where it is cut into smaller pieces before falling to the ground.
GY00115: 42” 100 and S240 mowers, including 102, 105, 107, 108, 115, 125, 135, 1442, 1542, 1542GS, 1542HS, 1642HS, 1642HV, 1742GS, 1742HS, 1742PR, D100, D105, D110, D120, D125, D130, E100, E110, E120, E130, L17.542, L100, L105, L107, L108, L110, L111, L118, L1742, LA100, LA105, LA110, LA115, LA120, LA125, LA135, S100, S110, S120, S130, S1642, S1742, X105, X106, X107, X110, X120, X125, X126, X127, X145, X300, X304, X310
GY20417: 48” decks on 145, 155C, 1948GV, 1948HV, 2148HV, D140, D150, D155, D160, E140, E150, E160, E170, L100, L120, L130, L2048, L2548, LA130, LA140, LA145, LA155, LA165, S140, S160, S170, X110, X140, X165, X166, X167, Z245, Z255, Z355E
Mulching Blades
Blade included with the mulch kit is designed for optimum mulching performance. These blades can also be used with side discharge decks without mulch covers.
100 Series
Residential ZTrak Mowers
- 42Accel deck mower (2 required) M170642
- 48Accel deck mower (3 required) M127673
- 48-in. High Capacity mower (3 required) M136185
- 54A mower (3 required) M177791
- 54-in. High Capacity mower (3 required) M135334
- 60-in. High Capacity mower (3 required) M168223
- 62-in. mower (3 required) M145719
Select Series and Signature Series
- 42X mower on S240 (complete kit) AM141033
- 42Accel mower X300 Series (2 required) M170642
- 42 Rear Discharge Mower X350R (complete kit) AM140332
- 48Accel mower on S240, X300 Series, X500 Series, X700 Series (3 required) M127673
- 54A mower on X300 Series and X500 Series (3 required) M177791
- 54-in. HC on X700 Series (3 required) M135334
- 60-in. HC on X700 Series (3 required) M168223
Not sure what the right mulching option is for your mower and your property? Stop by your local TriGreen Equipment and talk with one of our parts experts. Or, enter your mower model number at Shop.Deere.com to explore compatible options for your mower.
