Raking of Mowing, which side of the fence are you on?
First, you will have to do a little raking, getting leaves out from under bushes and away from fences. Once you have done that, cut through the leaves, as if you were cutting your lawn. First cut, let’s say, North to South, and after that, if needed, cut through them again, East to West. The leaves will be shredded into confetti, which during the winter will break down, and fertilize the lawn. You should do this process, every week, like you would if you were cutting the grass, NOT all at once, when they have all fallen.
You don’t have to have a mulching mower to do this process. I have used a self-propelled mulching mower, and your everyday (low-end) mower, and they both work just fine. A plus, with a “starter model ” mover is that it is lighter, and you can even PULL it backwards, if needed. Sometimes when going forward you blow the leaves a bit, where as, when pulling the mower, you suck them in toward the blade.
Always after mowing, unhook the spark plug cap, then turn the mower on its side, and with a garden trowel scrape any built up debris from the underside of the mower. This prevents smells from the decaying wet vegetation buildup.
And finally think about this… In nature there is a PERFECT CYCLE. First the trees take the nutrients from the ground, up through the roots, to form the canopy. In the fall, when the tree sheds its leave, the leaves holding the nutrients fall, decompose, and are AGAIN nutrients for the tree to absorb. The tree ALMOST provides its own food.
When you grind the leaves you are helping this cycle to continue. When you rake and dispose of the leaves, you have just ELIMINATED the second half of the natural cycle. So, maybe, this year, try grinding your leaves, your trees and lawn will LOVE you, and you will be a bit “greener”, by not adding more product to the land fill.
So tell me, do you grind your leaves, would you considering giving the GRINDING method a try???
Companion Post ..Applying fertilizer / Weed Control on the Lawn 4-27-2011
Fred, thanks for your article on grinding leaves. I’ve been using my mulching mower to grind up my leaves for two years. I just run over the leaves with my mower and blow them against the back of my garage. Makes it alot easier to rake up the residue against the brick. Middle of January and already my bins smell great. Eric in SC.
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I have been grinding up my leaves for 30 years. I even steal my neighbors bagged leaves and grind them up on my lawn. My neighbors cannot understand why my lawn looks better than theirs and they refuse my advice. Oh well, better for me. By June the leaves have turned to black gold. I think my trees are happier. In the fall leave the unground leaves on my flower beds to protect my bulbs that always seem to peak through in December. In spring I rake them out and grind them up and put them back. I am confident that I could just leave them in the bed to break down by themselves but I have to make my husband happy. Dolly Jewell
I have been grinding up leaves as a professional lawn service , for 20 yrs and my lawns always look better than the others in the area. !
Hi Joe, and thanks for the comment. I think it is soo much easier to grind than rake, and you keep all that natural / healthy material for your lawn and garden right on your property. In a way it is like composting, but you don’t have to stir and spread it. Happy gardening in 2012! .