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Leaf clean up doesn’t have to be difficult or consume your weekends.
Use the right techniques and tools to make the job faster, easier, and more efficient.
Remove Leaves Soon
Clean up leaves as soon as you could.
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Leaves on the lawn block sunlight, foster mold, and can become slippery and dangerous.
After long enough, the leaves decompose and are almost impossible to pick up.
Divide leaf removal into several smaller jobs rather than one big project.
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A thick tarp makes this easier.
Spread the tarp on the grass near the leaves.
Carefully rake the leaves onto the tarp.
Grab each of the four corners with a partner, but do not lift the tarp.
Slide the tarp to its destination.
Use a heavy-duty, tear-proof polyethylene tarp, 16 mil or thicker.
Don’t use plastic sheeting; it will tear when you slide it.
Thebest leaf vacuumsalso have a shredding component.
Blow the Leaves
Blow the leaves in combination with raking them.
Eventually, the pile will become so large that it can no longer be moved.
Break up the leaves into small piles or rows throughout the lawn.
Smaller piles are more manageable to move and collect in bins or yard waste bags.
Use a rigid tool with a broad head to push the leaves.
Do not use a leaf rake, as it might break.
A push broom or an upside-down garden rake works well for pushing piles of leaves.
Mulch the Leaves
Mulch the leaves to reduce their overall size for easier disposal or dispersal.
Drop leaves in small handfuls.
The leaves will be shredded and deposited directly in the bin or bag below.
Some leaf shredders will even chip up limbs up to 2 inches in diameter.
Or, disperse the shredded leaves around the yard as nutrient-rich mulch.
Light, newly fallen leaves can be shredded in place with the mower.
There is no need to rake the leaves into piles.
After mowing, ensure themulched leaf materialleft behind is not too thick.
It must seamlessly integrate with the turf.
If it doesn’t, mow it once again.
Compost the Leaves
Shred the leaves to make compostin a compost pile or bin.
Tomake compost, you need green and brown materials.
Green materials include kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, plant discards, and grass trimmings.
Brown materials are things like chipped tree limbs, cardboard, newspaper, sawdust, and fallen leaves.
After shredding the leaves, add them to thecompost bin, compost pile, orDIY compost tumbler.
Add brown to green materials at roughly a 2:1 ratio.
Leaves left exposed become wet and heavy, making them more difficult to move.
When enough time passes, roots and fungus grow within the leaves.
Cover the leaves fully with a tarp from end to end.
Stake down the tarp’s grommets with tent stakes or weigh down the edges with bricks.
Trim the Trees
Instead of cleaning up leaves, avoid leaves in the first place.
Trim trees in winter or early spring before the buds sprout.
Each limb that you remove eliminates leaf growth and the eventual leaf clean up six to eight months later.
Professionaltree trimming costsrange from $215 to $730 per tree.
In the fall, leaves pile up faster than they can be disposed of with municipal collection.
The 96-gallon compost bin standard in many communities fills quickly with freshly fallen leaves.
It’s critical to clean up leaves before the rain.
Weather can work to your advantage, too.
A strong wind can be enough to knock off the leaves remaining on the tree.
They can be mulched with the mower or left as-is.
Leave no more than five to 10 percent of the leaves behind.
Too many leaves left behind will deprive the grass of air, water, and sunlight.
Blow the leaves into piles or rows with a gas or electric leaf blower.
Then, shred the leaves to reduce their size.
Mulched leaves can be used around the yard to preserve moisture and provide nitrogen to garden beds.
Or the mulch can be sent to municipal leaf collection.
Leaves need to be cleaned upin the yard.
This Fall, Leave the Leaves.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
