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    Rake the leaves or leave them alone

    Online Niel Posted on

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    Are leaves gathering in your yard? You might want to think twice about trying to remove them, experts say.

    Some experts have recommended for years that we leave leaves where they land, and a new survey shows that more Americans may be fighting the urge to rake and scoop up fall’s bounty.

    Recycling leaves instead of throwing them away can be good for your lawn, according to Michigan State University expert Rebecca Krans.

    A National Wildlife Federation survey of 1,500 people in the US found that 90 percent of respondents were willing to leave or reuse leaves from their yard to help the environment. If done right, leaving leaves on the ground to decompose has environmental benefits, experts say.

    “We’ve been promoting this idea of ​​keeping leaves on your property to benefit wildlife and minimize carbon and methane pollution,” said David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation.

    Decomposing leaves can help the trees and plants in your yard, as well as the animals and insects that live in your yard. At the end of the day, homeowners have to choose whether they want to rake or not to rake. Here’s what you need to know.

    Leaves often end up in landfills

    There are benefits and drawbacks to making the annual choice to pick up the rake, Lou Meyer, a business developer for the Mid-Atlantic region of The Davey Tree Expert Company, told USA Today.

    While raking leaves and taking them to the curb can freshen up the look of your yard, you’ll miss out on the benefits they can bring to your yard, according to Krans.

    If you leave them on the ground, they won’t end up in a landfill. Although some municipalities vacuum up the leaves and compost them, most do not, according to Meyer. Leaves that end up in a landfill end up doing more harm than good.

    “They take up space in landfills. Landfills have limited space,” Meyer said.

    EPA estimated that yard waste generation in the municipal waste stream nationally was 35.4 million tons in 2018, representing 12.1% of MSW generation. Landfills received approximately 10.5 million tons of yard trimmings, which accounted for 7.2% of all landfill waste.

    More: Michigan’s fall colors are in full swing: What to know, the best scenic drives

    How can leaves help my yard?

    Decaying leaves return nutrients to the soil as they decompose, become food for the trees and help create new leaves in future years.

    The recovered nutrients improve the health of your lawn, which means it will need less water and be more resistant to weeds, insects and disease, Krans said.

    The added nutrients mean you won’t need to use as much fertilizer as usual, with the leaves fertilizing the yard naturally as they decompose, Krans said.

    In addition to returning nutrients to the soil, leaves can also be a home for various creatures, especially during the winter when they need a place to hibernate or hibernate.

    “Many pollinators spend the winter in your leaves. If you think about caterpillars turning into moths or butterflies,” Meyer said.

    Can I cut my leaves instead of raking them?

    It mostly depends on how many trees you have in your yard. If you have a small amount of leaves in your yard, shredding them with a lawnmower allows them to break down more quickly and be absorbed into the soil.

    But if you have a lot of trees in your yard with a lot of leaves, it might be a better idea to collect all the leaves in one place to decompose.

    If you try to cut too many leaves at once, the trimmer may not be able to cut the leaves properly, Meyer said.

    Krans recommends using a lawnmower or a specialized mulching machine to mulch fallen leaves in the yard. It’s best to go over the leaves several times until they break down into small pieces, allowing them to decompose in the soil, Krans said.

    Another tip: Apply a 3- to 6-inch layer of leaf mulch to your vegetable garden, reducing the chance of topsoil erosion and adding organic material to the soil.

    More: When will winter start in Michigan? Here’s what NOAA, AccuWeather, Old Farmer’s Almanac say

    There is a time when you should rake your leaves

    There is one scenario where leaf raking is a must, Meyer said: When the leaves in your yard are diseased.

    If diseased leaves are allowed to decay, the diseases they carry will be transmitted to new leaves in the spring, damaging the trees.

    Meyer recommends that people who are unsure of the health of their leaves contact an arborist who typically offers disease assessment services.

    Contact Jenna Prestininzi: [email protected].

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