Is it Really Necessary to Rake Leaves?
Rake the Leaves, Leave the Leaves or Mulch the Leaves. The Choice is Up to You
The first school of thought is that raking leaves is necessary for a healthy lawn. You must rake the leaves to allow your lawn to breathe and to allow sunlight through to the grass. Leaving the leaves where they fall will keep your lawn from breathing and thriving. Lawns grow best in the fall when temperatures are not so hot and if the leaves smother out the sunlight, your lawn will not be as healthy as if you raked the leaves from it.
The second school of thought is to let the leaves fall where they may. Nature intended leaves to fall and land on the foliage beneath them and that's the way it should be. Leaves protect the grass from the harsh cold of winter and leaves provide natural fertilization. In addition, proponents of the let the leaves fall school say that raking rips and damages grass doing it more harm than good and that the soil should not be deprived of its intended fertilizer.
The third theory is to mulch. Mulching leaves with your lawn mower chops the leaves up into tiny pieces allowing sunlight to reach your grass. Mulching the leaves lets the natural fertilizer remain on your lawn. Mulching is a great compromise to solve the dilemma of whether to rake or not to rake. It simply involves mowing and mowing until the leaves chopped up into small pieces. A mulching blade on your mower will make the process easier.
If you do rake your leaves, be sure to dispose of them in an environmentally safe way. Composting the leaves yourself and using the compost to fertilize your lawn is a good way give nutrients back to the soil. Sending the leaves for compost at a public facility will at least allow them to be used as fertilizer by someone who needs it. Burning leaves is universally considered a bad idea for safety and for the environment. In many areas it is against the law to burn leaves.
Rake the leaves, leave the leaves or mulch the leaves. The choice is up to you.
Published by Teresa Hoyt
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- The first school of thought is that raking leaves is necessary for a healthy lawn.
- The second school of thought is to let the leaves fall where they may.
- The third theory is to mulch.
1 Comments
Post a CommentI feel like people rake just because people hate the look of those leaves on the lawn. Raking it also may help them feel like they're cleaning up their lawn and thus giving that psychological boost.
But I do have to wonder if leaving the leaves where they are is just better for nature. It's an interesting school of thought because even though it's natural, because of how we humans have modified the environment, with lawns being enclosed by cement, how beneficial it actually is something I have to wonder about.
I think I like the idea of naturally composting the best. It saves from having to spend money on artificial fertilizers after all.