Hi Gerry
Who hasn't wanted to jump into a pile of fresh fall leaves that have been nicely raked into a big heaping mound. It's great to see the leaves scatter and fly when you dive into that heap of bright colour fall foliage.
But with new information and a good lawn mower, raking can be eliminated or reduced. Sure, go ahead and rake a few piles just for the kids to jump into. Why spoil their fun.
Research from the University of Michigan has shown the properly mulched and shredded, leaves can be left on the lawn and that as they decompose, they will enrich the soil and feed the lawn. This mulching should be done in the fall when the leaves are drier and will be easier to chop into small pieces.
Using a mower with special mulching blades, the fall leaves will be shredded into small pieces. These dime sized shreds will fall between the blades. With rain, they will reach the soil and gradually be broken down. As they decompose, they release nutrients to encourage good soil microbes and earthworms. This will help your lawn to be healthy and green. A healthier soil means a healthier lawn and better and more efficient lawn care.
While the study showed that high levels of mulched leaves also reduced dandelions the next year.
Of course, a little common sense is needed. The lawn will tolerate a lot of leaves but they must not be too large or too thick. If too many mulched leaves are left in one spot, the lawn beneath will suffer from a lack of light and air circulation just as much as if you left a big pile of un-mulched leaves in one place.
Ideally, your lawn care raking will be minimized, but then we've always said that raking provides some benefits - such as fresh air, exercise and perhaps some sunshine.
For expert advice and friendly service call TURF KING Hamilton- serving Burlington, Oakville, Caledonia, Ancaster and More.
Went to see a lawn care customer this week in Stoney Creek about some issues
The thing that was an eye-opener is how much of a difference that watering can make to a lawn when we have been having temperatures of 30 degrees C and there has been little rain.
Yes, grasses have the ability to withstand dry conditions, if they are not watered during droughts, they will go dormant and lose their green colour. But as long as they get some moisture, they will survive. Once fall comes with its cooler temperatures, shorted days, and more moisture the lawn will recover and turn green again.
But what if you don't want your lawn to go dormant?
Here is a lawn where you can see the difference that watering makes. The sprinkler is set on the porch in one spot. The majority of the lawn has been watered, but the edges did not get enough to keep them green. The pattern of the green is typical of the spray pattern of an oscillating sprinkler.
The lighter green spots in the middle of the lawn are patches of crabgrass. Even crabgrass didn't fare as well in the areas with less water.
Call Turf King Hamilton for Healthier, Greener Lawns Guaranteed
