Raking Vs Mowing The Leaves In Your Yard: Only One Method Reigns Superior

There are plenty of signs that fall has arrived — cooler temperatures, shorter days, and pumpkin spice lattes on every coffee shop menu, to name just a few. But for homeowners, the leaves falling from the trees and covering their lawn is probably the most obvious. That's because all those fallen leaves need to be cleaned up if you want your lawn to remain thick and healthy when spring rolls around again. Raking is the most common — and tiring — way to clean up leaves, but mowing has emerged as an effective alternative among lawn experts. If you're struggling to determine the best way to care for your lawn this fall, the answer is simple: mowing your leaves is the better option.

While fall leaves' changing colors are beautiful to look at, leaving them on your lawn can cause major damage to the grass. A layer of leaves blocks the lawn from receiving the water, nutrients, sunlight, and oxygen it needs for photosynthesis, preventing it from preparing for dormancy in winter. It can lead to thinning of the turf, bare spots, fungal diseases, and mold. Raking and bagging the leaves can certainly prevent these problems, but it is a physically demanding chore that can lead to back strain and blisters. Using your mower to mulch the leaves is easier and can actually benefit your grass in the long run.

While removing the leaves from your lawn is necessary to keep them from smothering the grass, most homeowners dread raking. It is a very intense activity that can cause back, shoulder, and wrist injuries. There are tips to make raking leaves easier, but using a mower to mulch the leaves instead can save you considerable time and effort.

However, the primary reason most lawn experts prefer mowing over raking is the benefits it offers the grass. Leaves are made up of approximately 2% nitrogen, the nutrient most important for healthy grass growth. Mowing fallen leaves to serve as mulch provides a natural fertilizer for your lawn, which can lead to greener grass come spring. Additionally, the organic matter that mulched leaves provide to the lawn helps loosen up the soil, so grass roots can grow more deeply. It also aids the soil in water retention. Mulched leaves from trees like maples can also help prevent weed seeds from germinating. In particular, dandelions and crabgrass are well-controlled by mowing leaves for mulch.

To use fallen leaves to give your soil an extra boost, they must be mulched into very small pieces that can make their way through the grass. While they make mulching mowers specifically for this job, you can also use a standard mower to mulch your leaves if you know the right way to do it. Start by removing the mower's grass catcher or bag, so the pieces of the leaves are left on the surface of your lawn. Next, raise the mower deck to its highest setting to ensure that it can cut through the layer of leaves.

To cut the leaves into small enough pieces, you'll typically have to mow over them at least twice. The final cut pieces should be roughly the size of a dime. If the pieces are too large, rake them into a small pile, and mow over them again. When the leaves are cut to the right size, allow the pieces to sit for a few days. They will begin to decompose, making their way down into the soil to provide their nutrients.

You should start mulching leaves as soon as they begin falling. In most cases, you'll only need to mow once a week. However, in extremely windy weather, you may need to up it to twice. Dry leaves are easier to mulch than wet ones, too, so avoid doing it right after it rains.