A study done at Michigan State University shows that you can forget about raking, blowing, and bagging leaves. Instead, just mulch them with your lawn mower and feed your lawn with a nitrogen-rich lawn fertilizer like Scotts® Turf Builder® Winterguard® Fall Lawn Food.
Yes. Mow until the leaves are no longer disappearing. Then start bagging and use as mulch on your azaleas, rhodendrons, etc. Then when the beds are done, whatever is still falling can be used for a compost pile or bagged for pick up.
Bagging: Keeps the Lawn Neat: Bagging the grass clippings helps keep your lawn looking tidy and well-groomed. It's like giving it a clean shave. Prevents Thatch Buildup: By removing the clippings, you're preventing thatch buildup, which can choke out your grass and leave your lawn looking patchy and sickly.
It's best to chop up leaves, which will then break down in the grass. Rake excess amounts into a landscape bed. As leaves across America make their annual autumn pilgrimage from the treetops to the ground, lawn and wildlife experts say it's better to leave them around than to bag them.
First up: Grab your lawnmower! Set it to its highest setting and make a couple passes over your leaves and lawn to chop your leaves into small pieces that will be able to filter into the turf. This works better with dry vs. wet leaves.
Cutting in concentric circles is an efficient pattern because all the turns you make are in the same direction. Since turns are more gradual, it's also easier to maneuver your mower. A circular pattern will match the cuts you make around trees and flower beds as well.
It's actually better for your yard and local ecosystem if you don't rake and bag fallen leaves. “Leaves have the exact combination of nutrients that lawns need to be green and healthy,” said Mike Weilbacher, executive director of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
The grass cut by the mower deck of your mower is blown through the discharge chute into the bagger. A bagger will also collect any material or debris your lawn mower mows over. So if your yard is covered with leaves, this is a great way to clean them up without bending over to pick up leaves manually.
As the chopped leaves decompose, they boost the soil with valuable nutrients. Your lawn will get a great nitrogen boost — like free fertilizer. Mulch your leaves for three years, and you'll see a drastic decrease in dandelions and crabgrass, according to studies at Michigan State University.
Overall, grass clippings can be a healthy addition to your lawn. Leaving them behind when you mow, also known as grasscycling, can help build a healthy lawn. Contrary to popular belief, clippings do not lead to thatch buildup, which damages the grass.
The right time to stop mowing the lawn is when grass stops growing. You may still need to run the mower to mulch leaves on the lawn until as late as December, depending on weather. An early snowfall that doesn't stick around isn't a signal to stop mowing. It all depends on grass growth and leaf cover on the lawn.
Bagging grass clippings can also help prevent the spread of weeds within the lawn. Clippings from weeds that have gone to seed may contain viable seeds that can germinate and proliferate, leading to an increase in weed population over time.
While this may be temporarily the more aesthetically pleasing option, your lawn won't be able to reap the nutritional benefits of the clippings. So, while you can bag the grass clippings if you really want to, mulching them will be better for your lawn in the long run!
Leaves have nutrients, which can be recycled into your lawn. The concern is if your leaf layer is very thick and will smother the grass. If you have just a few leaves, such as 20 percent of the lawn covered, you can just ignore them. They will blow around, settle in, and break down on their own.
A study done at Michigan State University shows that you can forget about raking, blowing, and bagging leaves. Instead, just mulch them with your lawn mower and feed your lawn with a nitrogen-rich lawn fertilizer like Scotts® Turf Builder® Winterguard® Fall Lawn Food.
USA Mower Blades with medium, high, or extra high lift are ideal for bagging leaves and grass clippings. Eagle Series Blades from USA Mower Blades are 3-in-1 blades that can also be used for bagging. The Eagle Series Blades from USA Mower Blades are ideal for fall leaf clean up.
Since baggers provide a clean look without scattered leaves, twigs and grass clippings, it makes your lawn look neat and pristine.
Fallen leaves provide habitat for animals
But chances are it's actually teeming with wildlife. As temperatures drop, fallen leaves and the soil underneath offer crucial habitat for all kinds of creatures, including salamanders, frogs and rodents.
The law generally considers leaves a "natural product," and even if your neighbor's leaves clog up your home's gutters or smother your grass, a legal claim isn't typically available as redress. Even the people who own a tree aren't normally held responsible for the leaves.
Although people often rake and bag leaves to prevent their lawns from being smothered and to make yards look better, in most cases, you're fine not moving them. In fact, many environmental experts say raking leaves and removing them from your property is not only bad for your lawn but for the environment as a well.
The rule that helps us figure that out is called the one-third rule, which means never remove more than one-third of the leaf tissue at any one time that you're mowing. So, if you're mowing Kentucky bluegrass at two inches high, for example, you don't want to let it grow any higher than three inches before you mow it.
Even if you're performing weekly mowing, if you're cutting the grass too short, it could still turn yellow from stress. When you mow too short, you also invite weeds into your lawn. Opportunistic weeds are much more likely to invade weakened lawns, than dense and thriving ones.
It's generally accepted that the best speed for effective mowing is in the 3-6 mph range. Going too fast can actually result in an uneven cut.