It’s a tedious job, raking leaves from your yard in the fall. In Northeast Ohio, homeowners often find themselves racing Mother Nature to get the leaves raked and bagged or collected from the curb before the first snow fall makes them wet, heavy, and difficult to gather.
Is there another option? Actually, raking and removing all the leaves in your yard isn’t absolutely necessary, but there are some rules to follow to keep your lawn and planted areas looking their best come spring.
Leaves on your lawn
A noticeable layer of leaves scattered across your lawn is not in itself bad, but a solid blanket of leaves left on your lawn can cause real damage to your turf. Once rain and snow add weight to a heavy layer of leaves, they will often remain right where they are until spring, smothering your grass and leaving thin, yellowed patches and in some cases killing the grass completely.
Heavy wet leaves can also promote mold growth, which can lead to diseases that will leave you with an unhealthy lawn in the spring. For these reasons, it is best to remove as much leaf coverage as possible from your lawn in the fall, taking advantage of dry days when the leaves are easier to blow or rake and gather for curb pickup or bag for removal.
An alternative to raking (if you really dislike it) is to mulch the fallen leaves by outfitting your lawn mower with a mulching blade. A mulching blade chops the leaves into small pieces that will fall down between the blades of grass. Not only does this method mean less work for you in the form of raking and bagging, the mulched leaves decompose and add nutrients to the soil that serve as organic fertilizer for spring lawn growth.
You will need to keep up with the fall leaf drop to take advantage of mulching, however. Mulching is not realistic if you have a thick layer of wet, heavy leaves on your lawn, but it’s a great option if you stay on top of falling leaves and use your mulching blade every time you mow the grass.
Leaves in your flower beds
While raking your yard before the snow flies may be a necessity to protect your grass from damage, feel free to leave the leaves in your flower beds until spring.
A layer of leaves around perennials is the perfect natural insulator, protecting your cherished plants from cold winter temperatures. By spring, even thick layers of leaves will decompose, providing your spring beds with beneficial nutrients and organic matter that creates rich, workable soil ready for planting with annuals.
If you decide to leave the leaves in your flower beds, be sure the layer is kept at a minimum around the base of large shrubs and trees. Also, take a walk just before spring to be sure leaf layers are thin enough on the crowns of perennials to allow early spring growth to break through.
If you have questions about lawn and garden care during the winter months, or you need help with fall and spring cleanup of your landscaping, contact T2 Design Lawn and Landscape. At T2 Design, lawn and garden experts are on hand to help out with all your landscaping needs as well as snow and ice removal throughout the winter. Click here for more information about all T2 Design’s landscaping services.