Mulching Versus Leaf Removal

Effects of Not Raking Leaves

• Raking the autumn leaves is an annual tradition for many families. It signals that summer has finally ended and winter is not that far away. It leaves a tidy yard, and shows that the family cares about the neighborhood and its general upkeep. Leaves that are left on the lawn over the winter can easily become matted down and deprive the grass underneath of sunlight, water and fresh air -- all vital parts of a healthy lawn. A mat of leaves prevents fertilizers and weed killers from reaching the soil in the spring and new grass seed from germinating.

Curbside Pickup

• Whether bagged or in piles that are vacuumed up, it costs the city money each year to pick up curbside leaves. Cities that do not have a compost facility must dispose of the leaves with the regular garbage, which wastes the potential resource and fills up landfills. If you're not a gardener and your city does recycle the leaves into compost then you'll be helping out your community and those who do garden by providing the raw materials.

Mulching With a Mower

• The easiest way to mulch leaves is to leave them on the lawn and run over them with a mulching mower or regular mower. This works best with only a light covering of leaves and might need to be repeated several times during the fall season. The leaves are chopped into very tiny particles which begin decomposing over the winter and finish in the spring. By the end of spring there is no sign that the leaves were on the lawn.

No Negative Effects

• Mulched leaves add vitally needed nutrients and organic material to the soil to make the lawn more lush. According to a multiyear study run by the Purdue University Agronomy Research Center, allowing mulched leaves to stay on the grass had no effect on visual quality or color, growth, thatch depth, soil pH or nutrients, fungus or weed infestation. The study recommended that homeowners mulch tree leaves each fall