# Mulching leaves - After overseed



## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

As I understand it, mulching leaves is purely beneficial.

Given the fall season occurs once per year - would I be missing out on an significant opportunity by bagging instead?

I'm not sure how my mower will handle the leaves and also concerned with smothering the Reno and overseeded areas (overseeded as late as 9/22).

Given the late overseed, what would you all recommend?


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

I've been mulching in my 500 sq ft renovation area. I just make sure to double pass so that the leaves are super fine.

Of course, YMMV here depending on how well your mower mulches.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

I have a Toro Recycler and it chops up the leaves pretty well. I would not worry about smothering grass with the output of my mower. You can barely see them right after I mow, in a day or two they are gone.

Mulching leaves, I think is one of the top ways to get OM into your soil and has the awesome benefit of being 100% free. I also far prefer mowing the leaves to blowing, raking, and bagging. So I think its a win/win. But I get it if you don't like the appearance for a bit. I am sure your grass will be fine, you may just want to find another way to add some OM back in.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

I'd be most concerned if it was wet or I couldn't do it in a single pass on very new grass...don't want to mat it down into damp soil and cause it to rot under leaf fragments.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

Thanks everyone. I mulched the leaves and will keep my fingers crossed that the baby grass is alright!

Here's a sample of after mulching. Is this enough?


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

Seems rather large to me, but thats just my taste. I have too many tree's and leaves that i just bag them now.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

The larger leaves in the picture above fell after mulching, I plan to go over it again every few days and bag the last mow.


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## JohnP (Oct 24, 2017)

I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

JohnP said:


> I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.


Lawn is looking good, @JohnP. I did most mulching with my Ego at 2" HOC and a small area at 3" HOC. I found that at 2" it did a much better job. Wish I had a sharper blade or one meant for mulching.

What's your HOC and are you using the standard or high lift blade?


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

Mozart said:


> JohnP said:
> 
> 
> > I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.
> ...


Have you looked into Gator blades for your Ego? I threw gator blades on my TimeMaster and they absolutely shred the leaves up. Should make for a better mulching experience if they make them for the Ego mowers.


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## mribbens (Jul 13, 2018)

Alex1389 said:


> Mozart said:
> 
> 
> > JohnP said:
> ...


What is the part # for the Gator blades for the Toro TM? I cannot find them


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@mribbens I should clarify... I'm actually using a Stens blade that is quite similar to the Gator blade. These were recommended by my local Toro dealer. Cut quality has been great.


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## MassHole (Jun 27, 2018)

JohnP said:


> I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.


The mulched pics looks very messy and not even mulched. I see big leaves in there that will block out the grass underneath. After all the hard work I put into my lawn, I don't want to hurt any of my delicate new growth.


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## mribbens (Jul 13, 2018)

Alex1389 said:


> @mribbens I should clarify... I'm actually using a Stens blade that is quite similar to the Gator blade. These were recommended by my local Toro dealer. Cut quality has been great.


Right on man! Thank you, can I ask what year is your TM? I have a 2017 and I know some of the older ones needed different blades for mulching. I have been looking for any type of replacement, mine cut good, but, if there are better ones out there, I want to try.


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## JohnP (Oct 24, 2017)

MassHole said:


> JohnP said:
> 
> 
> > I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.
> ...


Keep in mind this is a decent layer of oak leaves and a single pass with my Ego mower that spins at a lower RPM. I usually did double passes but don't underestimate the microherd.


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## JohnP (Oct 24, 2017)

Mozart said:


> JohnP said:
> 
> 
> > I think that's fine @Mozart. Here's how mine looked last year when mulching after overseed.
> ...


This was last year. This year I haven't kept up like I wanted and it's less than spectacular. Max height and high lift blade. I just did my first sharpening myself a few weeks ago with the grinder and flap disc. Worked well!


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

mribbens said:


> Alex1389 said:
> 
> 
> > @mribbens I should clarify... I'm actually using a Stens blade that is quite similar to the Gator blade. These were recommended by my local Toro dealer. Cut quality has been great.
> ...


I picked mine up this year. Model #21199


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2018)

Mozart said:


> Thanks everyone. I mulched the leaves and will keep my fingers crossed that the baby grass is alright!
> 
> Here's a sample of after mulching. Is this enough?


My results using the Ego was similar. My HOC was 2" & I considered my blade to be pretty sharp. I tried to stay on top of the mulching the leaves on a regular frequency instead of all at once. I think it helped.


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## Mozart (Jul 17, 2018)

Poopgiggles said:


> Mozart said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone. I mulched the leaves and will keep my fingers crossed that the baby grass is alright!
> ...


Yeah the ego is really convenient but performance-wise it leaves mulch to be desired.


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## Alex1389 (May 23, 2018)

@Mozart @mribbens I just posted some pics on my journal of my leaf mulching today. Feel free to take a look. I started probably with more leaves than most would recommend I mulch, but there's very little evidence of the leaves in the lawn at this point.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=3736&p=117395#p117395


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## FuzzeWuzze (Aug 25, 2017)

I put enough Nitrogen down in Fall and Compost/Milorganite in fall im not worried about any Nitrogen or OM that the leaves will be putting into my yard. I always blow off as many leaves as i can then mow over the remaining with a bag.. I've tried bagging straight but it still ends up mulching a bunch and i have to empty the bag every 10 feet it seems. Leaves do a number on my yard every year past, this year im done mulching them.


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