To rake or not to rake??
Will not raking leaves kill my lawn? I’m finding conflicting info!
Posted Nov 23, 2023, 6:43 PM UTC
19
Get those full-sized leafs off the turf if you don’t want problems
3
If you leave leaves they will eventually get wet from rain and then smother your grass. You either mulch into tiny pieces and they go into the soil or rake/leaf blow
2
I use a leaf blower and blow them between all my plants and trees. Low effort and free nutrition for your garden.
2
Obviously mulching them in can add nutrients to your lawn. Raking them isn’t the worst option, but leaving them on can rot out your lawn and be a safe haven for rodents, insects and more
1
Rake or mulch really well. Have to do one or the other if you want a nice lawn.
1
After not properly raking the first 2 falls we’ve lived in our house, we will always rake. Not raking killed our lawn for the spring and took a lot of effort to bring it back.
1
If you have a lot of trees like me, this has been my past 6 weeks. mulching>raking>mulching>raking>mulching.
Thankfully oaks finally dropped. They're always the last.
1
Raking isn't totally necessary, but it depends how heavy the leaf drop is. If they're piling up more than a couple inches thick, it's safer to clear some off. Too many can smother the grass underneath.
A good compromise is raking up bigger piles and piles that might mat down, but leave some scattered leaves behind. Or run the mower over it - the bagger works great for this.
At the end of the day, grass is resilient stuff. As long as the crowns stay green, it'll usually bounce back no problem. I've seen lawns survive worse!
1
Leaving shit covering your grass until your lazy ass gets around to to mowing or probably not mowing and paying someone else to do it could kill your grass but honestly not likely. Leaves and grass coexisted long before humans and lawn mowers. It if you give a shit you’ll clean up your fucking yard you lazy asshole.
1
Mulch crew will come in here and tell you to mulch them for the free lawn food
I personally rake because every one of my trees spew some kind of debris , and I seem to get less weeds when I rake.
Also love the look of a perfectly clean lawn
Mulch crew here.
I'd still mulch them and then rake after, you will get smaller bits and can get more in a bag.