I am tired of raking leaves. Someone told me I can leave them on the
lawn. Is this true? Won't it kill the grass?
Leaves are a great source
of nutrients and organic matter.
Shredded leaves can be left on the lawn. You may need to make several passes with the lawn
mower. The leaves need to be small
enough to fall in between the grass blades. The small pieces will decompose,
improve the soil, and help the lawn.
I like to save a few leaves for my annual flower and vegetable
gardens. I rake them into the
garden and shred them with my mower.
Next I dig them into the soil.
It is a great way to improve the drainage in heavy clay soil and water
holding capacity of sandy soils.
Many gardeners use the bagging attachment on their mower to collect the
"mowed" leaves. This
makes collection and shredding an easy task. Dig the shredded leaves into the garden or add them to the
compost pile. Use extra shredded
leaves as mulch on the soil around perennials or save a few to use as mulch in
next year's garden. Additional
leaves can be used in the compost pile.