Letting leaves stay on throughout the fall and winter robs the grass beneath of sunlight. As the leaves decay, these nutrients return to the soil. Even when the temperature drops to below freezing, the ice protects the roots and actually keeps the soil temperature stable.įallen leaves are full of the nutrients they took from the trees. Even in humid climates, a layer of leaves over the roots of a plant keeps the moisture in the soil from evaporating and the roots from drying out. Leaves also protect plants from frost, especially in dry climates. They overload the water with nitrogen and phosphorus, which stimulates algae to grow, which in turn robs the water of oxygen and kills both aquatic plants and animals.įallen leaves provide winter shelter for bugs that are beneficial to the lawn and garden. When the leaves fall into the gutters, they find their way to waterways. Others rake the leaves into the streets or into the gutters. When many homeowners rake up their leaves, they put them in black plastic garbage bags, and these millions of leaf-stuffed, black plastic bags end up in landfills. Here are pros and cons for raking up fallen leaves: However, some experts believe that cleaning up all those leaves that have fallen on the lawn isn’t necessary or even such a good idea. Topeka Landscape is here to help so you can spend your free time focusing on prepping for the holidays! Our crew would be happy take care of your fall clean up needs, whether it’s a one-time clean up or recurring maintenance.Raking or blowing the leaves in the fall is a job that many homeowners simply take for granted. Regardless of which alternative better suites your style, one thing is for certain: you need to make sure you don’t leave a thick layer of leaves on your lawn over winter.ĭon’t want to mess with leaves at all this year? It is important to note you do not want to make mulch from leaves that have any existing disease. You can distribute these smaller bits onto landscape beds or herb gardens to provide insulation from the cold which will help protect your root systems. Lawn mowers typically have a mulch setting that will break up the leaves into smaller pieces. If you want to use the organic matter that you have on hand, you can also mulch them and use them in your landscape beds.Also, you will help eliminate the potential for harboring unwanted plant disease and overwintering insects and pests. Not only does this keep your yard looking nice and clean, it will lessen your workload in the spring. Our recommendation is to rake them and bag them.Here are a few ways of dealing with fallen leaves this year: If you do not remove leaves and debris from your yard, you’ll likely be left with a brown, patchy, unsightly yard come spring. Whenever a thick layer of leaves is covering your turf, it’s essentially being smothered. Your yard needs a good amount of air and sunlight to maintain good health. With two different schools of thought on the matter, let’s talk about the trouble that comes from allowing a thick layer of leaves to sit on your yard, then discuss how to deal with them. One common dilemma homeowners face is whether or not to rake and bag fallen leaves and debris from their lawn. Fall is quickly becoming winter and the trees are shedding the last of their leaves.
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