I have noticed that there are two different approaches people take when it comes to cleaning up the leaves in the yard. There are some people who clean up the leaves on a schedule every week. Then there are others who sit back allowing all the leaves to fall and clean them all up at once at the end of the season.
Like many tasks in the yard, there are no rules. Your yard, your rules. What can be discussed is what is best for the yard. I tend to favor more frequent leaf removal. I think it’s good to keep the lawn clean to allow more sunlight in to keep the soil warm and the grass growing.
Counterpoint:Should you rake your leaves this fall? The experts say no. Here's why
There are others who will advocate not picking up leaves at all. This is based on the theory that the leaves will decompose returning organic material to the soil. This is true. However, it is more applicable in wooded areas where grass is not growing. Leaves on top of grass in thick layers can be detrimental to the grass as they have the potential to block the sunlight and moisture from the grass below.
The best thing to do with leaves on the lawn would be to run over the leaves with your lawn mower. This is especially effective if you have a mulching blade. When you are able to chop the leaves with the mower, they will become fine pieces that will fall between the grass blades. Then they, too, will decompose, enriching the soil with fresh organic matter.
You want to use the mower frequently to also avoid the leaves getting too thick on the lawn. If you attempt to do this after the leaves are too thick, they will still continue to cover the grass but only in smaller pieces. When you are using the mower, the lawn should look clean when you are done.
More end-of-season home and garden tips
- Make sure you have put your water hoses away for the winter. When doing this, make sure you turn off the water to the outside of the house if you do not have frost-proof faucets. If you do not do this and we have a deep freeze the pipes could freeze, causing leaks on the inside of the house.
- Take some time and look for gaps in your house around doors and windows. As the colder weather is moving in, these gaps will be used by insects and rodents to sneak into your house for the winter. If you have had any of these invasions in the past, they will occur again. You can seek professional help with this by calling a licensed exterminator.
- The end of the season is a great time to take your mower and other power equipment to a technician for servicing. Most people wait until the first warm day in February to consider doing this. Then you find yourself in line with a lot of other people to have your machine serviced. Avoid the rush. Take them in as soon as you are done using them this season.
- Many of us are already thinking about our holiday decorations. Where you have empty pots, you might be considering planting some evergreens in those pots. If you use them, you should know that you are planting these with a bit of risk as compared to planting them into the ground. This is because the raised pots do not give the roots enough insulation from severely cold temperatures.
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