After a hot and humid summer, many people look forward to a dip in temperatures and the golden glow of autumn afternoons with leaves on trees that turn from green to brilliant hues of red, orange and yellow. But then the not-so-beautiful part of autumn: those leaves will fall, creating a blanket of leaves on your once-lush-green spring/summer lawn.
What is a homeowner to do with fallen leaves? Leave them? Rake them? Our landscaping professionals with Promier Landscapes in Kingsport are sharing a few options with you today:
Option 1: Leave Them
It might not be the best option, depending on the amount and sizes of leaves on the ground, but one option is to leave the fallen leaves on the ground. The downside to this is that the leaves block sunlight from reaching the grass. They also trap moisture in the grass, creating a perfect breeding ground for disease and harmful pests.
Option 2: Mow the Leaves, Use as Mulch
This is an easy and multi-purpose way to address fallen leaves, turning something considered a nuisance into a mulch that is healthy for the grass and soil. While special attachments and mowers are on the market to make this task easy work, it’s just as simple to mow several times over the fallen leaves until they’re in small, coin-sized pieces and blades of grass are showing through. Want to boost the health benefits? Add fertilizer to the ground as you’re working.
Option 3: Rake or Blow Them
If you don’t love the idea of leaving leaves down for compost and mulch, many people choose to rake or blow them. Leaves can be bagged by certain lawnmowers, or they can be raked and manually bagged. Leaves can be used to mulch landscaping beds or placed around the bases of trees, making this a natural, environmentally friendly and cost-free option to add nutrients to soil. Leaves can also be added to a compost pile or left for roadside pickup, depending on the area in which you live.
Option 4: Combine 2 & 3
Addressing fallen leaves doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all approach. Some people choose, for instance, to rake leaves at the beginning of the season and then mulch with the remainder of the leaves that fall.
Prepare for an Autumn Lawn
The best time to start planning for an autumn lawn is in the dog days of summer. Leaves will soon be falling from the trees and covering your lawn. How will you choose to deal with them? If you have any questions about how to prepare your lawn for the colder months ahead, our lawn care specialists at Promier Landscapes would love to hear from you. We have been helping people like you in the Tri-cities area create and maintain beautiful lawns and landscaping or two decades. For more information, call (423) 872-2988, or fill out the form on the website to reach us online today.