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. A 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.

Photo Credit: Sarah Landicho

Get the kids involved in raking, and let them play with the leaves as their reward!

Leaf Removal

Growing up, I lived in a house with no trees in the yard. That doesn’t mean I don’t have plenty of experience gathering fallen foliage – my grandparents had lots of rakes and leaves to share. I can remember raking dried, brown leaves into a pile on an old white sheet, then dragging the sheet to a bigger leaf pile, where they were eventually burned. Our reward for filling a sheet with a pile of leaves was the chance to jump into it before we pulled it away. (Ah, the simple joys of childhood.)

Fortunately, burning leaves isn’t as popular today – and with good reason: Not only can it be dangerous if it’s been a dry fall and the fire gets out of control, it’s a shame to see all that leaf litter go to waste. You see, leaf litter is an essential component of compost, a well-recognized means of building organic matter in the soil. Adding that organic matter to your garden is important to support microbial growth – the key element in rich, fertile soil. Homemade compost is cheaper than commercial compost, and it’s generally a higher-quality product to boot. So if you don’t already have a compost pile, think about starting one this fall and put your leaf litter to good use.