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| Photo Credit: Megan Bame |
| The flexible tines on a leaf rake make gathering leaves easy without pulling up the grass. |
Just mention the word “fall,” and images of brightly colored leaves dancing in a crisp breeze jump to mind. So does the image of those leaves falling gracefully to the ground – covering your lawn and blowing all over in an unsightly mess. In nature, these leaves would slowly decay on the forest floor, returning vital nutrients to the earth. But left on the sidewalks, they become a slippery mat. Left on the driveways, they camouflage the path. And left on your lawn, they can smother your grass.
The fact is, fallen leaves create a barrier over the lawn. This leaf mat traps moisture, inhibits sunlight and harbors insects and diseases that can kill patches of even the healthiest grass. Sometimes Mother Nature lends a helping hand by blowing a sweeping breeze that carries your leaves over to the neighbor’s yard. But beware: That same breeze is probably blowing more leaves onto your lawn, too. The bottom line is that leaves should be removed or mulched (finely chopped) regularly throughout fall to avoid lawn damage. While leaving the leaves on the lawn until they’ve finally all fallen from the trees may seem like a good way to deal with the problem, it isn’t. The longer leaves lay around and the thicker they accumulate, the greater the damage that could occur to your grass. Regular raking and mowing/mulching are the best ways to ensure a healthy yard come spring.
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