"Managing Fall Leaves"
Did you know that you should rake your leaves as soon as they have fallen? If you don’t, then they will get wet from rain and morning dew, stick together, and form an impenetrable mat that, if left unmoved, will suffocate the grass and breed fungal diseases.
What’s there not to love about the fall? The colors are beautiful, the air is crisp, football games are plentiful and there’s a pumpkin spice version of just about fall leaves smallanything you can think of. With the summer months behind us, the mowing that used to take up so much time on the weekends is on hold until the spring.
But by late October and into November, your lawn will need a little TLC again. The leaves that were so beautiful on the trees when they started changing colors aren’t as beautiful accumulating in your yard. And unfortunately, leaving them there isn’t healthy for your lawn either.
One of the easiest ways you can manage leaves if you don’t want to rake or blow and then bag them is to mulch them with your mower. If you don’t have a mulching mower, your regular mower will suffice but may take a few passes to get the leaves to the desired size. To do this successfully, raise the blade to its highest level and remove the bag from your mower. Next, proceed to go over your lawn like you regularly do until the pieces of leaves are the size of a dime or smaller. In addition to being a much easier way to deal with leaves, mulching them adds valuable nutrients to the lawn.
