As winter approaches, we start to see the dying of leaves. As these leaves die and fall off, we end up with quite the clean-up. But getting out the rake and trash bags isn’t your only option.
Here are a few tips to hopefully make that clean up task a little easier and more efficient.
- Did you know?! Leaves make for excellent mulch! A light layer left in your yard won’t do any harm as it acts as fertilizer. You can improve your soil quality by mulching your leaves, either via leave vacuum or lawn mower. Spread a light, even layer of your clean-up debris, and you create your very own free mulch. You can also spread mulched leaves over the top of your flower beds to act as insulation when the weather gets colder.
- FYI: Leaves make great compost! Mixing leaves with other lawn matter can produce a nitrogen-rich compost that is great for vegetable gardens or newly planted trees and shrubs.
- 2. Utilize your lawn mower to pick up those piles of leaves and turn them into mulch. If you have a lawnmower with the attached bag, this makes for an easy clean-up. If you do not have an attached bag, no big deal, spreading of the mulched leaves will act as a fertilizer to your yard. Just make sure to not have large piles of the mulched leaves in one spot, as it can suffocate your grass.
FYI: The best time to mow over leaves is when they are slightly damp in the mornings or after a light sprinkle. You don’t want them to be soaked, but a little dampness prevents them from blowing around too much.
3. If you have a large yard, a leaf blower may just be worth the investment. Using a leaf blower instead of a rake will save you loads of time. Consider putting a large tarp on the ground and blowing the leaves onto it. Which you can then fold up like a trash bag. This makes for an easy disposal.
4. If you want to skip the extra step of bagging up the debris, a leaf vacuum may be your best bet. A leaf vacuum allows you to suck up leaves, twigs, acorns, and other debris into a bag, and then grinds everything up for mulch or compost use.
Other Tips
- Do a leaf cleanup once a week. If you don’t deal with the leaves regularly, they can smother your lawn and weaken it.
- If you plan to rake, make sure you have a no-clog rake. The plastic forks are connected to each other, which eliminates the space where leaves and twigs tend to get stuck.
