Each fall, the leaves on the deciduous trees in your yard turn amazing colors of brown, gold, red, and yellow. Then, the wind blows, or it freezes a few times. Pretty soon, those leaves make their way to the ground. It may happen over the course of a couple weeks, or it may happen pretty suddenly. Either way, those leaves are going to wrap your lawn in color.
Unfortunately, the wrap that your leaves produces is more like plastic wrap. It actually suffocates your lawn. It may be pretty for a few days, and who doesn’t like walking through some fresh leaves just fallen from now naked limbs? But those leaves need to go if you want to have a healthy lawn in the spring.
The first reason to remove leaves from your grass is to let it get some air. Not many living things can survive without air, and grass thrives on getting some breathing room. That is the reason why aeration is so helpful. If you let leaves remain on your grass, you are basically doing the opposite of aeration.
If you have a layer of leaves with moisture and no air flow, you have a lawn that is going to get a disease. It may be mold or other pests, but those leaves are like the ultimate incubation dome for disease.
Like suffocation, a layer of leaves can also block nutrients and water from getting to the roots of your grass. Yes, you should still be watering your lawn in the fall if you aren’t receiving enough precipitation to make up for it. This water won’t help if it can’t reach the ground.
Especially if you have cool season grass, which has its peak growing season in the fall, a layer of leaves is like a layer of mulch. Nothing is going to grow underneath it. If you leave your leaves on your lawn all winter, you may not have a lawn when spring starts.
Not only does getting rid of your leaves in your lawn save your grass, but it looks better! Yes, those leaves are beautiful. But after a while, they become a brown mess of sludge. Don’t let your lawn become sludge. Rake those leaves!
Lastly, leaves make more contents to add to the compost pile. This will help you to have a plentiful supply of rich soil by the time spring comes, and it’s time to plant again.
Have questions about your lawn care?
Greenfeet Lawncare Provides Service to the Following Areas.
770-619-2929
North Fulton, East Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth Counties - including Alpharetta, Canton, Cobb, Cumming, Dunwoody, Gwinnett, Johns Creek, Marietta, Milton, Roswell, Sandy Springs
