Leaf Blowers: Yes or No

[ReinyDays]

Spring rake ... you girls must be afraid of hard work? ... because raking leaves isn't even close to hard work ...

Just one large maple dropping right now and one large elm that'll drop in about a month ... every one gets turned under in my garden ... except maybe half the elm leaves are left on top as winter mulch ...

 

[Sunsettommy]

Spring rake ... you girls must be afraid of hard work? ... because raking leaves isn't even close to hard work ...

Just one large maple dropping right now and one large elm that'll drop in about a month ... every one gets turned under in my garden ... except maybe half the elm leaves are left on top as winter mulch ...

Saves a lot of money too.

 

[leftwinger]

Most Mexicans arrive with a 2-stroke attached at the hip for trimming or blowing. 15 million more 21-24. Get used to the noise.

 

[ReinyDays]

Mow the leaves.

I guess you've never raked leaves if you don't think that involves a lot of mowing leaves ... [giggle] ...

 

[whoisit]

Leave the leaves. I've been in landscaping and garden center biz for years off and on..

expert advice

I rake up leaves for my gardens and compost piles. I do use a blower for the walkway and porch now and then.

 

[Dante]

I rake up leaves for my gardens and compost piles. I do use a blower for the walkway and porch now and then.

I saw this and was like -- uhm, thought more people knew of this

Why Leaving the Leaves Is Better for Your Yard​

Keeping leaves in your yard can bolster the number and variety of species around — and the perks go beyond just the fall season.

“We actually have a lot more things emerging than I think many homeowners think we do,” Dr. Ferlauto said. “In a square meter of yard where you leave your leaves, there’s on average almost 2,000 insects that will emerge over the course of the spring.”

That total number doesn’t include decomposers and detritivores like earthworms or millipedes, he said, nor the tiny insectlike soil animals called springtails. What it does include are arboreal arthropods — species that spend only a portion of their lives in the fallen leaves and the rest above ground: butterflies and moths (about 20 will emerge), parasitic wasps (about 300), beetles (almost 400), more than 100 spiders and 1,000-plus flies of various kinds.

Rake up or blow away those leaves, or shred them with your mower, and the results plummet — as do the essential ecological services those organisms perform, including key pest-control roles by the spiders, parasitic wasps and certain beetles.

Why You Don’t Need to Rake Leaves​

Thinking about raking freshly fallen leaves into a pile? Think again, scientists and naturalists say.

In recent years, some naturalists have called for an approach known as “leaving leaves” when they fall to the ground, which would return organic materials back to the soil.

“A forest has the richest soil there is, and that happens because leaves are falling off the trees and decomposing right there and organic materials are going back into the soil,” said Susan Barton, a professor and extension specialist in landscape horticulture at the University of Delaware. “We should be doing that in all of our landscapes, but we’re not.”

 

[whoisit]

I saw this and was like -- uhm, thought more people knew of this

Why Leaving the Leaves Is Better for Your Yard​

Keeping leaves in your yard can bolster the number and variety of species around — and the perks go beyond just the fall season.

“We actually have a lot more things emerging than I think many homeowners think we do,” Dr. Ferlauto said. “In a square meter of yard where you leave your leaves, there’s on average almost 2,000 insects that will emerge over the course of the spring.”

That total number doesn’t include decomposers and detritivores like earthworms or millipedes, he said, nor the tiny insectlike soil animals called springtails. What it does include are arboreal arthropods — species that spend only a portion of their lives in the fallen leaves and the rest above ground: butterflies and moths (about 20 will emerge), parasitic wasps (about 300), beetles (almost 400), more than 100 spiders and 1,000-plus flies of various kinds.

Rake up or blow away those leaves, or shred them with your mower, and the results plummet — as do the essential ecological services those organisms perform, including key pest-control roles by the spiders, parasitic wasps and certain beetles.

Why You Don’t Need to Rake Leaves​

Thinking about raking freshly fallen leaves into a pile? Think again, scientists and naturalists say.

In recent years, some naturalists have called for an approach known as “leaving leaves” when they fall to the ground, which would return organic materials back to the soil.

“A forest has the richest soil there is, and that happens because leaves are falling off the trees and decomposing right there and organic materials are going back into the soil,” said Susan Barton, a professor and extension specialist in landscape horticulture at the University of Delaware. “We should be doing that in all of our landscapes, but we’re not.”

I never rake my yard, I go into the woods and rake some from trails to use in gardens and compost bins.

 

[P F Tinmore]

I saw this and was like -- uhm, thought more people knew of this

Why Leaving the Leaves Is Better for Your Yard​

Keeping leaves in your yard can bolster the number and variety of species around — and the perks go beyond just the fall season.

“We actually have a lot more things emerging than I think many homeowners think we do,” Dr. Ferlauto said. “In a square meter of yard where you leave your leaves, there’s on average almost 2,000 insects that will emerge over the course of the spring.”

That total number doesn’t include decomposers and detritivores like earthworms or millipedes, he said, nor the tiny insectlike soil animals called springtails. What it does include are arboreal arthropods — species that spend only a portion of their lives in the fallen leaves and the rest above ground: butterflies and moths (about 20 will emerge), parasitic wasps (about 300), beetles (almost 400), more than 100 spiders and 1,000-plus flies of various kinds.

Rake up or blow away those leaves, or shred them with your mower, and the results plummet — as do the essential ecological services those organisms perform, including key pest-control roles by the spiders, parasitic wasps and certain beetles.

Why You Don’t Need to Rake Leaves​

Thinking about raking freshly fallen leaves into a pile? Think again, scientists and naturalists say.

In recent years, some naturalists have called for an approach known as “leaving leaves” when they fall to the ground, which would return organic materials back to the soil.

“A forest has the richest soil there is, and that happens because leaves are falling off the trees and decomposing right there and organic materials are going back into the soil,” said Susan Barton, a professor and extension specialist in landscape horticulture at the University of Delaware. “We should be doing that in all of our landscapes, but we’re not.”

Rake up or blow away those leaves, or shred them with your mower, and the results plummet — as do the essential ecological services those organisms perform, including key pest-control roles by the spiders, parasitic wasps and certain beetles.

Indeed, blowing leaves is bad for the ecology.

 

[JohnDB]

Why now just mow it up and spread it out.

I did that for two years....and the grass began dieing....its difficult enough to grow grass under the trees without the leaves adding to it. So I'm blowing them into a tarp and hauling them away. I mowed over them until they disappeared before.....so I'm going to try this.

 

[Sunsettommy]

I did that for two years....and the grass began dieing....its difficult enough to grow grass under the trees without the leaves adding to it. So I'm blowing them into a tarp and hauling them away. I mowed over them until they disappeared before.....so I'm going to try this.

It depends on the tree species but I mowed it several times until they were small pieces which breaks down over the winter and you should be fertilizing lightly in the fall anyway if you are using normal grasses such as Kentucky Blue grass which greatly set up the regrowth in the spring and increase decomposition of the leaves with some of that nitrogen.

Leaves well shredded has a large decomposition surface which is why they decompose much faster. There is a leaf shredder available that can fit the size of a large garbage can thus you can rake them up and shred into the garbage can, then add it to your flower beds or your fall winter garden beds.

 

[JohnDB]

 

[JohnDB]

It depends on the tree species but I mowed it several times until they were small pieces which breaks down over the winter and you should be fertilizing lightly in the fall anyway if you are using normal grasses such as Kentucky Blue grass which greatly set up the regrowth in the spring and increase decomposition of the leaves with some of that nitrogen.

Leaves well shredded has a large decomposition surface which is why they decompose much faster. There is a leaf shredder available that can fit the size of a large garbage can thus you can rake them up and shred into the garbage can, then add it to your flower beds or your fall winter garden beds.

I got Georgia sand everywhere....it's nutritive sand so things grow well but the leaves just kill everything. Peat moss is okay but leaves are the killer.

 

[Woodznutz]

I wish. We burned when I was a kid, but they outlawed that long ago.

Loved the smell of burning leaves in the fall. Outlawed here too. Sad.

 

[Woodznutz]

I saw this and was like -- uhm, thought more people knew of this

Why Leaving the Leaves Is Better for Your Yard​

Keeping leaves in your yard can bolster the number and variety of species around — and the perks go beyond just the fall season.

“We actually have a lot more things emerging than I think many homeowners think we do,” Dr. Ferlauto said. “In a square meter of yard where you leave your leaves, there’s on average almost 2,000 insects that will emerge over the course of the spring.”

That total number doesn’t include decomposers and detritivores like earthworms or millipedes, he said, nor the tiny insectlike soil animals called springtails. What it does include are arboreal arthropods — species that spend only a portion of their lives in the fallen leaves and the rest above ground: butterflies and moths (about 20 will emerge), parasitic wasps (about 300), beetles (almost 400), more than 100 spiders and 1,000-plus flies of various kinds.

Rake up or blow away those leaves, or shred them with your mower, and the results plummet — as do the essential ecological services those organisms perform, including key pest-control roles by the spiders, parasitic wasps and certain beetles.

Why You Don’t Need to Rake Leaves​

Thinking about raking freshly fallen leaves into a pile? Think again, scientists and naturalists say.

In recent years, some naturalists have called for an approach known as “leaving leaves” when they fall to the ground, which would return organic materials back to the soil.

“A forest has the richest soil there is, and that happens because leaves are falling off the trees and decomposing right there and organic materials are going back into the soil,” said Susan Barton, a professor and extension specialist in landscape horticulture at the University of Delaware. “We should be doing that in all of our landscapes, but we’re not.”

We like grass. Very little grass grows in the forest.

 

[Woodznutz]

Most leaves dry up in dry weather and can be mulched into small bits. However, if it rains on them you can have mess, especially those large maple leaves that come down all at once.

I go over the leaves with the mulching mower once. Then collect them with the bagger attached, leaving bits in the lawn to decompose. I store them in covered wire cages. Next spring and summer I will compost them with fresh grass clippings from our large lawns. Last year's compost, about a cubic yard, will be ready and will be mixed with bagged garden center soil for lawn repair on the large property that I manage. Lots of work but I enjoy it.

I use a battery powered Husqvarna blower to clear paved surfaces and street gutters. Great tool.