3 Tips for Cleaning Leaves

Fall is always one of the best times of the year. That being said, one of the downsides to fall is dealing with the mountains of fallen leaves that end up littering your yard. Cleaning up your lawn from the seemingly endless amount of leaves can give even the most seasoned gardener a headache. It’s an absolute necessity to deal with them.

Mulch, Don’t Rake

If the leaf coverage isn’t too thick, you can run a mulching mower over the leaves until they’re broken up into little bits that will decompose back into the lawn. Reintroducing these nutrients could even reduce next year’s weeds. If you plan to compost leaves, chopping them first speeds up decomposition. Use a grass catcher to gather leaves as you mow over them. You also can allow leaf pieces to decompose in place on the lawn. To do this, chop leaves into dime-size pieces. Depending on how large leaves are and how deep the layer is, you may need to mow over them several times to chop them small enough. After mowing, you should see roughly 50 percent of the grass through the leaf pieces. The more grass you see, the more quickly those leaf pieces will decompose.

Leaf Blower

The quickest and easiest method of leaf removal is with a leaf blower. High powered blowers are typically too heavy and potentially dangerous for a child to operate, so consider the pros and cons before essentially purchasing yourself a chore. Of course, leaf blowing is only appropriate at homes with an area to blow leaves towards. The neighbor’s yard does not count.

But If You Must Rake…

The rake has always been a powerful tool in the garden and lawn care arsenal. It might be your best friend this fall as you go to battle against the hordes of leaves taking over your beautiful lawn. We all know that leaf pickup can be a challenge. Rakes certainly might be the best solution. We suggest you have a designated time every week in which you use the rake to corral all of the leaves so that there is ample time for them to pile up during the week. That way, you avoid having to re-rake multiple times per week.

RE/MAX Realty Professionals—The Results Team—is ready to help you buy or sell your home! Visit www.andrewl185.sg-host.com. Or call Lesa Miller at 812-360-3863 and Jenivee Schoenheit at 317-258-0995.