Leave the Leaves! What to do with leaves in the fall.
As the temperatures begin to drop and Halloween decorations come out of storage, you may be wondering, “What am I going to do when all these leaves fall?”
The most common answer is, of course, rake them up, bag them, and set them at the curb. This option is okay, but it can be hard on your back and you’d be giving up a wonderful, free resource for your soil!
Here’s what Motor City Mowing suggests as a basic plan. Tailor it more specifically to your home’s needs and your aesthetic desires. Reach out to us if you’d like advice on your particular situation!
September through mid-October: As trees begin to shed their leaves, simply mow the minimal amount of leaves and leave them on the lawn. The smaller pieces will decay faster, sink to the base of grass blades, and allow sunlight and water to reach the grass. You’ll likely not even notice the mulched leaves in your grass, and the breakdown of this rich organic matter will be a welcome meal to your grass!
Mid-October through mid-November: If you have large maple, oak, or other similar trees that drop a ton of leaves, you’ll want to start removing at least some of those leaves off of your lawn by late October or early November. It all depends on when the trees drop the majority of their leaves. You can hook up the bag attachment to your mower and run it right over your leaves to bag up the vast majority of material. Set this out for your municipality to pick up, or compost it on your own!
Mid-to-late-November: Make sure to get the last of the leaves off the grass or mulched finely before winter. Mulched leaves add nutrients to your soil, but a thick mat of leaves covering your grass could cause disease and block sunlight! Use a leaf blower instead of a rake for an easier time. If your city provides curbside loose leaf removal (think a huge vacuum truck that sucks them up), here’s an easy method to get them to the curb: lay out a large tarp, blow the leaves onto the tarp, drag the tarp to the curb, dump the leaves.
Make sure to get a nice, final close-cut mow to your grass before it goes dormant for the winter, and add grass seeds evenly to your yard a few weeks before the first frost for a thick, lush lawn come spring!
If you have any questions, or if you’d just rather leave the leaves to someone else, get in touch with Motor City Mowing, Leaf, and Snow for lawn care that cares!
