For those of you with grass at or close proximity to pool edge ---

[Salt_Water_Sam]

My pool has a 16x16 piece of limestone at it's pool edge but then turns to grass afterwards. When I edge and cut grass I will sometimes get very fine grass clippings into the pool. Not a lot (I bag my mower) but enough to be noticeable. For those of you with a similar situation to mine, what do you do to address this if anything? I was thinking about buying a silt leaf rake and maybe skimmer socks. My standard leaf rake is pretty good though and gets most of it but definitely not all. Wasn't sure if there was anything I needed to be worried about on skimmer socks too. Should I just not worry about the remainder of the clippings and let the skimming action pull it down into my sand filter?

 

[jblizzle]

I would suggest using skimmer socks (or hair nets) regardless of whether you have grass to catch.

 

[Arizonarob]

The goal is to keep as much organic matter out of the pool as possible, as that will eat away at your FC. Get yourself some disposable hairnets, and you’ll be cleaning your filter less often to boot!
These are the ones most people on here use.
Hairnets

 

[SBall]

I look forward to having this problem. Currently, I just have dirt and straw getting in the pool. Once my grass starts growing, then it will be clippings. I was looking on Amazon at reel mowers. They are not very expensive, and seem like a good way to trim up near the pool. A normal mower just blows clippings, dust, etc all over the place, but a reel mower should be far more gentle, and just drop the clippings more or less straight down.

 

[AveMaria472]

My Dolphin robot picks up EVERYTHING that gets tracked/blown into the pool and sinks to the bottom. Dirt, grass, clumps of leaves, hair, pollen, chewed gum, etc. Worth every penny!

 

[Newdude]

Sometimes the easiest answer is the most overlooked, so im just making sure that you are only mowing with the discharge chute facing away from the pool. (If it has a side bagger). Or you could also lower the deck around the pool to contain more clippings.

 

[koht]

I use a blower to blow them away from the pool. Anything that gets into the pool I hand skim them out.

 

[Salt_Water_Sam]

I typically bag my clippings so there isn’t a lot that goes in the pool from the actual mower per se. The bigger problem is afterwards when I get out the string trimmer to clean up the quarter inch edge my mower doesn’t get between my cut and the stone. I have thought about getting a grass sickle and just manually trim the edges.

That is an interesting idea about using a reel mower. That sent me spiraling down an internet rabbit hole on reel vs rotary mowing. Very interesting information out there. I may just start doing a reel cut for the area around my pool!

In the meantime, I purchased the hairnets recommendation (thank you) and am going to try something where right before I mow I close off the main drain and ramp up the RPM on my pump to hopefully create some type of super skim environment that catches most of the clippings before they drop below the surface.

 

[RJPRESTRIDGE]

Grass clippings in the pool is a definite pain. I try to limit the amount by weed eating the edge first, then stopping and taking the leaf blower to the deck to blow it all back out into the yard. Continue on with the mowing, using a rear-discharge, bagged mower. Every other weekend I'll spray the deck off with a hi-pressure spray wand - that gets all the debris off and the dirt particles that have imbedded into the deck texture.

 

[BowserB]

Mowing with the pool takes a good 45 minutes longer than it did when were was only grass where I now have pool and pool equipment. Like most people in southeast Texas, we have a St. Augustine lawn. After 45 years of bagging grass clippings, I've subscribed to the latest advice, and I use a mulching mower with 5" cutting height. That works great everywhere except around the pool.

When alone, I keep a leaf blower and net on the deck. First use a string trimmer at the edge of the decking, then quickly blow the clippings out into the grass as best I can. Then grab the net and fish out what I miss. Here in Katy, we have a south wind most of the time, so I have to be quick at the south end of the pool. Then around the back wall, where some string trimmer clippings fly up into the air and settle back into the pool. Again with the blower to try and blow off the clippings on the wall into the grass. Of course, they mostly go into the pool, so I'm there with the net again. Next, string trimmer on the north end of the pool where there is one place where there is barely 15 inches between the pool edge and the grass, and around the northeast corner where I'm keeping grass off the patio and the pool deck. When all that is done, I return with the mower, which on the pass nearest the decking also throws grass onto the deck, and if I'm not fast enough with the blower, into the pool. Then one more look to collect floating grass that has slipped by, check the skimmer socks, and then finish mowing around the equipment pad, stepping stones, and other equipment--two A/C units, standby generator, sprinkler/mosquito hub, and water softener drain.

I've tried enlisting my wife's assistance when she's available, to stand by with the leaf blower the blow away the grass as I trim and mow. So far that hasn't worked very well, as she can't anticipate my moves with the trimmer and mower. So yes, mowing around the pool is a huge pain. If I didn't hate the appearance of concrete and paving in general, I'd extend the decking another five feet in all directions and put up a stone wall at the edge. However it is nice to float in the pool and see grass and other green stuff all around, so I'll keep up the pain of mowing, hopefully improving my skill at keeping grass out of the pool.

 

[bmoreswim]

Maybe trim with something like these instead around the pool edge.

Worx 20V Cordless 4" Shear and 8" Shrubber withBattery — QVC.com