Mow, Don't Rake, Those Leaves! | Southern Living

In the habit of bagging up fall leaves? Don't. The Grumpy Gardener has another idea for your yard, and it'll lead to enriched soil for your spring plants. So, mow – don't rake!

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[turningoveranewleaflawncar]

I have a mowing business and have been mulching my customers leaves up with my mowers for the past 7 years! It's so much easier on me and my customers wallets! I'm in PA and in October I continue mowing weekly but I installed my Oregon gator mulching blades on my mower to help mulch up some early leaf drops. Then come November I offer a full fall leaf clean-up where I blow out all the leaves away from buildings and out of flower beds onto the grass. Then I'll edge and trim and then I'll mow/mulch up those leaves. Once completed I blow all the walkways and driveways off and try to do 3 visits before Thanksgiving and if needed one more visit the week after Thanksgiving. Then my mowing season usually ends after that until spring time. Early spring I offer a spring leaf clean-up before the mowing season starts to get the yards ready for mowing. Great video and great advice! I have 5 70' silver maples in my front yard and when they drop leaves I just mulch them up. My neighbors always ask if I have a bagger for my mower and I say no why. They say we'll what did you do with all your leaves. I said they're still there but I just mulched them up with my mower. They were impressed!

[dmc]

THANK YOU for putting this info out there. I live in Marietta and have a 2 acre yard with tons of leaves. Every year I pull out my mulching mower weekly and take a few passes.... viola! a clear lawn. My neighbor actually came out and told me to stop mowing my grass because it hasn't grown... so I tried to explain to him what I'm doing. He didn't believe it until he saw it.

People do not realize how GREAT a mulching mower and a GOOD mulching blade can reduce their yard work time in the fall. It's actually pretty good therapy too because you are spending time outdoors in beautiful weather, maintaining your lawn. This week I had a pile about 4" tall in the center of the front yard and ran through it like it was nothing. My neighbor could not believe that the entire pile was GONE and not one trace was left. Just to show him how easy it was, I did his front yard too, and I made a believer out of him too.

I haven't bagged a leaf in 5 years, and I don't intend to do so ever again. Even if you have a riding mower, equip it with a mulching blade in the fall and make life simpler.

[rebeccaantram]

I just did this for the first time
It was amazing. Won’t ever rake again

[Ditto]

I am here in 2024 and I will mow!! Thank you for the advice! 😎💯🔥🔥

[humminbirdhoopz]

This season, I'm doing a combination of both. I have so many trees that I have been able to rake and throw the leave into a large collection trash can. I will store the raked leaves into a designated area of my backyard for composting over the next 6-8 months. I'll then add the composted leaf mold to my garden.

However, with so many leaves leftover, I simply mow them into the grass with a mulching blade.

[srobert]

Do a combination of both...blow them onto your driveway, then mulch them with your mulching mower, collect the mulched leaves and add them to blueberry bushes, garden or mulch pile...great source of natural nutrients, fast and free.

[aarone.]

I've been doing this for years; much to the neighbors concerned stares! Now; the entire neighborhood does this!

[dalehammond]

Thanks, GG...I've been watching videos all over YouTube hoping to find one to convince me to mulch this year. Your video succeeded!

[tomjones]

Leaf fungus is gold for your soil. Even my centipede is rich green after mulching last fall.

[johnclarke]

Grumpy, hi got a new Snapper Ninja Mulcher a few weeks ago and was trying to mulch up the few remaining leaves in my yard with it but my Ninja blade tended to throw all to many leaves out from under the deck, so I decided to put a Gator blade on my new mower. The Gator blade, unlike the Ninja blade, turned any remaining leaves into powder, even on semi bare areas. Much of my yard cleanup involves mulching leaves and pine straw and not mowing a perfectly manicured one grass type lawn. My yard is a combination of fescue, Bermuda, centipeed and St. Augustine grass, but mostly commercial, tall type fescue. I ferterlize with Milo and Scott's Turf Builder at recommended rates and my soil type is sand and sand mixed with granite with minimal top soil. I have about 75% grass coverage after working very hard on this yard for 12 years. Aerorating seems to help but you cannot do a lot with concrete, can you?

[johnjarou]

that might work if you have got a small yard, but i have got a pretty big one. and also i get a lot of little limbs mixed in with the leaves(this is in Michigan). so i have to almost try and rake up SOME of the leaves and twigs and limbs before i even start mowing. believe me, it's a hassle!!

[mjwmercer]

I have tons of leaves... I've been doing this for years and it works for me. However, it's not for those with perfectly manicured lawns

[MrBurns]

Just put a mulcher on my cub cadet! I do it late in the season before I use the aerator for the best fertilisation.

[roytallericoGunner]

Mow with a mulched mower like he said. The excess you can mulch better with like a workx mulcher...electric or battery..then spread in the garden around bushes ECT. No trash to haul and no plastic garbage bags.

[robertdelaplante]

Totally awesome idea....can’t wait now to do it. Thanks for sharing.

[nephetula]

I've done it both ways, I've raked and I've mulched them with my mower. Raking or vacuuming them up and bagging really isn't easy, but it looks best, and it also prevents your lawn from "raising" above the walks. After 10 years of mulching them in place with my mower, my sidewalks now all look like they've sunk.

[robertwright]

I had a 30by40 feet ball spot in my back yard I was planning on planting some grass there one day I take my leaves up and and pile them in the ball spot and ran the mower over them that winter by Spring grass was growing without planting seeds.

[alejandroalcala]

I use them for suppressing weeds, fed for my worms and retaining water for my plants <3

[jamesg]

I mow every year as it takes 30 mins rather than 2 hours.... its makes No sense to rake

[clicgear]

If you have a riding mower, mow over them backwards after you blow or mow them in a pile. You will be amazed. My mower turns them to dust that way. The leaves stay in the deck longer and get mulch up way better.