Coli Lawn Care essentials

[RageKage]

Why Mulching Leaves Is Better Than Raking Them​

Why Mulching Leaves Is Better Than Raking Them

Don’t bag or blow leaves in your yard just yet! Here’s why mulching fallen leaves is the best choice for your property—and here's the best way to do it.

www.bobvila.com

Why blow or bag your leaves? Leaving them in the lawn and garden helps your soil flourish—and saves you a lot of effort

Every year, fall reintroduces us to a raft of pleasures available in no other season—hot apple cider, pumpkin carving, and so much more. But fall also signals the return of one chore many of us dread: raking leaves. You might be surprised to learn that, according to David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation, leaf-raking is an optional endeavor. Mulching leaves instead can benefit your lawn, and local wildlife as well.

While you certainly don’t want to leave a thick layer of leaves to smother the grass growing beneath, raking up and disposing of leaves that have fallen on your lawn isn’t necessarily the best option either.

Benefits of Mulching Leaves​

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While you certainly don’t want to leave a thick layer of leaves to smother the grass growing beneath, raking up and disposing of leaves that have fallen on your lawn isn’t necessarily the best option either.

Benefits of Mulching Leaves​

Photo: Getty Images
Is mulching leaves good for your lawn? Absolutely, according to Sal Musto, founder of SalCorp Landscaping & Construction in Walpole, Massachusetts. “Mulched leaves create habitat for wildlife like worms, insects, and birds,” he says. “Small animals may use them for shelter. The decomposers and foragers establish a healthy ecosystem in your yard,” he adds.

While cleaning up fallen leaves can have its place in lawn care, choosing to mulch leaves instead of raking and bagging them benefits both the gardener and the garden. Mulching leaves can:

• Improve the health of your soil: Decomposing leaves add nutrients to the soil, which in turn can nourish your grass.
• Have a positive impact on the ecosystem: Beneficial insects and microorganisms will benefit from the shelter the leaves provide as well as the nutrients they impart. For instance, many species of butterflies and moths overwinter as eggs, pupae, or adults in leaf litter.
• Implement a weed barrier: Regularly mulching leaves and leaving a thin layer on the grass can cut down on weeds after a few years.
• Save money: No need to purchase plastic garbage bags or kraft paper leaf bags.
• Reduce air pollution: Relying on neither city pickup nor a noisy, gas-powered leaf blower helps support a healthy environment.

 

[RageKage]

I'm on my 2nd year of not blowing leaves off my lawn but mulching them

Article says after one more I'm gonna build up that sweet weed barrier

 

[RageKage]

I'm updating thread to include all things lawn care, come to the realization im at that stage in my life where I'm deeply invested in this now.

We are now going to talk about dethacthing and scarifying and this guy has a good take on a term some ppl misuse

I agree with him

 

[newarkhiphop]

Here's a good breh to follow



I'm deep in the lawn game, pause, I can answer questions

 

[RageKage]

Thank you! Almost positive I have seen him but will subscribe to his channel on your recommendation.

I am going to give a positive review for a product I was deeply skeptical about (its not expensive and these things rarely live up to claims)



Have a a lot of tulips and a lot of rabbits in my yard. I don't mind the rabbits with the exception of when they eat the tulips this time of year. Invariabbly, I come out and look at them and see obvious signs of them munching them.

Started off thinking this year I woild build a fence but to cover the area with something that looked nice that I would only have up when tulips were in bloom was going to be $$$

So I got these ultrasonic motion detecting deals that flash light and apparenly making a sound ( i think I kind of hear it but its at a freq we cant hear very well I suppose )

Placed them around the tulips and these things are working! Noticed no new munching on them since they went up. I'll move them around area every few days to catch them off guard but so far, so good.

Dont know how well they do with larger animals ( deer can be a pest for many ) but I think they are worth a shot for the money

Knowing these can be effective, probably would have gotten one with more features but this was a good test. I dont need them up all year

 

[levitate]

Any alternatives to Scott’s Weed and Feed?

It works well, but looking for something less chemical filled.

 

[RageKage]

Any alternatives to Scott’s Weed and Feed?

It works well, but looking for something less chemical filled.

I'm honestly hoping we have someone on this board in the industry, I used to think I knew about fertilizer but after many videos, I now know I know nothing Jon Snow.

Not only what u are putting down is important, when u apply it is as equally important

 

[get these nets]

Good thread.
I'm old school, though. Every few years I purchase the updated edition of the lawn care maintence books, and I read the articles from the cooperative extension depts from the area college.

 

[hashmander]

Any alternatives to Scott’s Weed and Feed?

It works well, but looking for something less chemical filled.

since organic is important to you. put down corn gluten meal as pre-emergent weed control. go to your local feed store, they'll have it.

milorganite for some nitrogen, phosphorous and iron. it doesn't burn so you can overboard with it if you want ... like doubling up. or the sunniland all natural if it's in your area.

 

[newarkhiphop]

Any alternatives to Scott’s Weed and Feed?

It works well, but looking for something less chemical filled.

For feeding (fertilizer) yes there a few alternatives out there. For weeds, unfortunately no but if you get your grass super healthy and thick weeds will rarely grow in it.

 

[RageKage]

Saw briefly a video from a lawn care guy saying products that combine fertilizer with weed killers are not optimal ( that being generous ) but these products are still something I need to learn a great deal more about.

 

[RageKage]

Any alternatives to Scott’s Weed and Feed?

It works well, but looking for something less chemical filled.

Don't know what kind of weeds u are looking to manage but I have typically done one application in spring and that's it.

The only one that still comes up after that are the occasional dandelion and I use one of these as soon as they make their presence known. Deeply satisfying and effective to eliminate them this way and areates your lawn

I go through my yard with this like an assassin looking for them saying I wish a dandelion would lol

 

[RageKage]

So I just got a bunch of grass seed and this video shows up that has me reconsidering what I'm planned to do next with it.

Definitely need to follow up

 

[Gator48]

Welcome back fellow lawn nerds

 

[Hijo de luna]

I'm finally tackling my front yard which was overtaken by weeds after a water line repair. I hate chemicals but I got impatient and glyphosated my entire lawn while my bermuda was dormant. Now most of the weeds are dead. I put down a pre-emergent a couple of weeks ago as the bermuda started greening. Instead of seeding the dead spots, I'm just going to fert the hell out if it and let the bermuda do it's thing. I bought a pro plugger to move some healthy grass to the bald spots to spreed things up. This tool is a gamechanger.