For some, leaf removal is an enjoyable experience of raking, bagging, and walking away following an afternoon of hard work. For others, it's an endless process. Raking, bagging, and walking away only to find the yard looking exactly the same two days later and repeating the process.
So why do we even deal with fall leaves, anyway?
"We don't want to leave our leaves on the lawn all winter long because it can cause problems for the turf grass and the health of the lawn," said Maggie Reiter, a turf grass extension educator with University of Minnesota Extension.
Reiter says leaving piles of leaves spread out across the lawn might not seem like a big deal, but what's happening under those leaves is no small issue.
"If you leave the leaves there, they become wet and matted, or underneath the snow it can cause the grass to be smothered," Reiter said. "It can cause disease issues like snow mold and create habitats for pests like mice and moles."
If you're thinking it's time to get the leaves off of you lawn, Reiter says it doesn't need to be a strenuous process.
"Keep it simple and the lowest effort possible," Reiter added. "We advocate for people to mulch their leaves into their lawn with their lawn mowers. Mowing over top of the leaves, pulverizing them into half-inch pieces. That's what's going to get integrated into the canopy of the turf grass."
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Reiter says people often raise concerns that mulching leaves into lawns will harm the grass or soil beneath.
"We've done research looking at what happens if you mulch leaves into your lawn for up to 10 years, looking at different species of leaves," she added. "There's not changes in your soil chemistry. In fact, in increases the organic matter in your soil, which is a good thing. It helps water and nutrient holding capacity."
When it comes to "how often" one should take care of the leaves on their lawn, Reiter says you can mulch more than you think.
"Leaf piles that a couple of inches thick might take a few passes with a mower in a few different directions," she said. "To prevent from getting in that situation, I'd say mow every 10 to 14 days in the fall to incorporate those leaves or mulch them as they're falling to avoid build-up."
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