Proper Guide to Leaving the Leaves.
Please do not remove all leaves. There is no need to remove ALL leaves from your grass as leaving a thin layer will help maintain a healthy lawn as well as provide habitat for overwintering and beneficial insects.
Shred leaves in place using a mower. A normal mower can be used to shred leaves and therefore speed up their decomposition right there in your lawn. If you shred leaves, they will also produce a very valuable mulch that can be used wherever you need mulch!
Rake or blow leaves INTO garden beds and DO NOT remove leaves from garden beds. A layer of leaves 3-6 inches thick will act as a mulch in your garden beds and around your tree bases. It will help keep weeds at bay, improve water retention, and reduce leaching of nutrients. It will especially help new plantings or those that are in the first years of establishment. Don’t leave bare soil, leave the leaves!
Remove leaves from drain areas, gutter areas, street sides and any walkways or driveways. Removing leaves from where you want to walk seems like a no-brainer, but the number of times I have watched people blow leaves from their yard right onto the gutters, drains, or streets along their property is mind blowing. The only place you do need to remove leaves is from draining and walking areas. If leaves are allowed to clog the sides of streets, gutters, or drains, they will cause water to backup and create icy disasters. Furthermore, the more leaves we can keep out of our sewer system, the better for everyone, including the expensive filtration systems.
Do NOT remove all leaves from your yard.
Rake or blow leaves (shredding first is ideal) INTO garden beds.
Remove leaves from drains, gutters and street sides.
Remove leaves from walkways.
Other reasons to leave the leaves:
Vital overwintering habitat
Reduces cost of mulch and fertilizer
Improves that bare soil patch by building healthy soil in its place!
Reduction of taxes in your municipality
Reduction of gas usage and noise pollution for those with blowers
More time to enjoy the beauty of your yard!
One of the most valuable ways to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the shelter they need to survive the wi
Texas A&M University - Academic analyses and information on horticultural crops ranging from fruits and nuts to ornamentals, viticulture and