All those leaves on your yard need to be raked, mulched, or blown, bagged, and composted. Why? If left on your lawn, those leaves will block sunlight from reaching your grass and can lead to lawn diseases like snow mold.
But how best to tackle that blanket of fall colors covering your grass, sidewalk, driveway, and even your roof? Grab your rake, a leaf blower, or a mulching lawn mower, and let’s get started with professional landscaping services GreenTouch Pros.
Choose your leaf removal tool
Removing leaves from your yard may sound like a tedious activity, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Chances are, you already have the leaf removal tools in your garage, and if you don’t, you can easily find them at a hardware or home improvement store.
Leaf rake
A leaf rake will get those leaves out of your yard and twigs, and grass clippings, and anything else, but raking is back-straining work.
To make raking easier, choose a rake with an ergonomic handle and a lightweight design. If your leaf rake isn’t comfortable to hold and to use, it will increase the strain on your shoulders and back, making leaf removal much harder than it needs to be.
Choose a leaf rake with a wide end. The wider your rake, the more leaves you can pick up with every sweep.
Leaf blowers
Leaf blowers are one of the most versatile landscaping tools you can buy. Homeowners and landscapers use them for dozens of tasks, including leaf removal and yard cleanup.
In general, leaf blowers are easy to use — and in many cases extremely noisy.
Check your local ordinances before buying a leaf blower as cities and states are increasingly banning gas-powered lawn care equipment because of their emissions. Some cities restrict leaf-blowing times because of the noise.
Mulching lawn mowers
If your lawn mower has a grass catcher, fall is the time to unhook it. If you have a mulching lawn mower, even better.
When your lawn is covered with leaves, it isn’t necessary to remove them before you mow. In fact, mowing over the leaves can create a nutritional, organic mulch for your lawn that provides all-natural fertilization during the fall and winter months.
Ideally, you should cut your leaf debris into dime-size pieces for it to be effective mulch. When you can see about half an inch of grass above the mulched layer of leaves, you’re finished.
It’s interesting how mulched leaves help lawns as the clippings go through their natural life cycle. Leaf bits will begin to settle into the soil and microorganisms will start the decomposition process.
This composts the leaf clippings into exceptional food for your lawn, making fallen leaves a valuable resource for your yard.