Why NOT to Rake Your Leaves This Year

Are you excited to get outside and rake your leaves this weekend? If not, here's some good news: You can prevent weeds naturally by NOT raking your leaves!

Don't Rake, Mow Your Leaves

It's well known that you should remove fallen leaves from your lawn, so they don’t smother and kill your grass. Here’s a time saving tip: Get out the mower and mulch your leaves instead! Mulching leaves into the lawn reduces Dandelions by 60%, according to a study at Michigan State. Other advantages include providing food for the beneficial microorganisms that keep your lawns foundation healthy, and improving the quality of your soil, both of which result in a more beautiful lawn. To learn more about properly mulching your leaves to prevent weeds, watch our video. 

Mulching Steps To Follow:

1. Rake or blow leaves from your beds into your lawn.
2. Run your mower over the leaves a few times to chop them into small pieces.
3. Lightly rake the chopped leaves into a pile, smaller in size than if you were raking leaves that hadn't been mowed. 
4. Mow that pile a few more times and rake the remaining leaves into the lawn. We recommend using a fan-shaped leaf rake, instead of a garden rake (see below).

An important takeaway, is that you don't want your leaves to smother the grass. Raking them once after you've chopped them up will help the grass blades stand up and the leaf pieces to fall to the soil. If you have any questions about this process or issues with your lawn, don't hesitate to reach out. Fall is an ideal time of year for us to fix any problems you might have, Contact Us.

Fall is the BEST time to start an Organic Lawn Care Program. 

Feeding your lawn between September and December will build the roots and prepare it for the cold Winter, as well next year. We recommend using an Organic Fertilizer, which will provide your soil with the nutrients it needs to grow successfully in the Spring, and combat weeds in the process.