Being a homeowner often means that with every new season, yard work follows. Fall time is no different and living in New England, your fall cleanup probably involves a combination of acorns, pine needles, branches, and of course leaves!

Whether you do-it-yourself or hire a landscaper, there are some important things to consider when it comes to the fallen leaves in your yard. You may even be asking, “Should I bag the leaves and put them curbside? What can I repurpose my fallen leaves for? Should I mulch them back into my lawn?” Before spending hours each week raking and bagging leaves, let’s take a look at why mulching leaves back into the lawn is a great option!

6 benefits of mulching leaves back into the lawn

1. Increases earthworm and Micro-organisms activity in soil
2. Provides a slow release of nutrients
3. Prevents weeds from germinating by covering soil between grass plants
4. Helps retain soil moisture
5. Leaves stay on site and don’t add to landfills
6. Saves money and time

As you can see from the above points, mulching leaves is extremely beneficial. If you choose not to mulch the leaves back into your lawn, we strongly encourage complete removal or you may cause harm to the turf. For example, leaving leaf cover across your lawn will block sunlight to grass plant, prevent air movement, and can even smother and cause the turfgrass beneath to die.

How to mulch leaves back into the lawn

1. Use a mulching mower – if you don’t have a mulching mower, you can purchase mulching blades for your mower
2. Set the height of the mower blade to a high setting
3. As you go, make sure the leaves are being shredded small enough to fall through turf canopy
4. Spread any clumps that may be left behind

Lastly, there is a myth that needs to be cleared up: leaves and pine needles change the pH of soil. Yes, some leaves and pine needles have low pH when they fall from the tree. However, during the natural breakdown of the leaves and needles the soil neutralizes them.

Well since it is fall, there are only so many daylight hours left for that yard work! We hope you consider the many benefits of mulching leaves back into your lawn this Autumn. If you have any questions, please call us anytime at (781) 297-3674 or you can email info@naturaltree.com.

For additional reading on this topic check out this article from USA Today: Raking leaves this fall? Stop right now.