Do I Have to Rake My Leaves in the Yard?

If you live in Minnesota, chances are your yard is filled with leaves come October. As the trees begin to lose their foliage, you may be wondering- do I have to rake my leaves? Consider these scenarios and advice for handling each one.

When to rake your leaves

• Your lawn could be damaged: too much leaf cover can suffocate your grass and prevent oxygen from reaching its roots. Leaf cover can also trap moisture and prevent oxygen from reaching your lawn, creating a good environment for lawn disease to thrive. While these problems may occur under a thick layer of debris, you shouldn’t worry about removing every single leaf to protect your lawn.
• Leaves cause other problems: in addition to harming your grass, leaves can also clog downspouts and storm drawings, stain wood decks, and make sidewalks slippery.

Alternatives to raking leaves

Most people don’t enjoy raking leaves, try these alternative options:

• Mow: mowing the leaves chops them up into tiny pieces, allowing them to break down and add nutrients back into the soil. Simply wait until the fallen leaves are dried and run the lawnmower over them.
• Compost the leaves: you can compost leaves whether you blow, rake, or mow the leaves. Be sure to turn your compost pile regularly to keep the breakdown process moving.
• Turn the leaves into mulch: leaves make great mulch material. Relocate leaf piles around your trees or in your garden beds to add nutrients. A generous layer of leaves can also create protective insulation for outdoor plants.
• Leave them be: you may have many reasons you don’t want or need to remove leaves from your property. However, not removing leaves could result in suffocating the grass underneath. When spring comes you may be looking at a thinning lawn or much worse, dirt. 

Get help with fall clean-up

At Northern Roots, our landscaping and lawn care services include fall clean-up. We will give your yard the care it needs with no hassle on your part. Contact us today to get a free quote and to schedule your fall services. You can call us at 763-777-4233 or visit us online here.