# I Have Learned to Wait on Fall Leaf Removal



## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

Every Fall for many many years, I have started mulching the Fall leaves just about as soon as they begin to cover my yard - but no more.

It is not good 'time management' to do that - mulching for many weeks early in the Fall is not an efficient plan for leaf disposal in my location.

I have come to realize that the bulk of my yards' Fall leaves will literally be blown out of my front yard and down the street over the several months of Fall.

So, why should I continue mulching them over and over for weeks other than a gain in organic material to my soil?

Right now, at this moment, I am watching a sporting event on TV and also watching from my home TV room my neighbors blowing, raking and mulching the abundant fallen leaves in their yards - I am not doing the same.

My plan for Fall 2019 is to wait until there are zero leaves left on any trees near my yard and then start to use my mulching walk behind mower and mulching riding mower plus my new Stihl blower to grind the remaining dried-out leaves into tiny bits for organic material soil increase and maybe, just maybe, not have to bag any leafs at all.

It is a new Fall leaf plan and I hope is successful just to save time and labor.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

I'm with you, for the most part it's s waste of time to continually stay on top of it. Personally, not my thing. I live halfway in the woods, leaves are ABUNDANT. I go out every 3 days and blow them into the woods. I have neighbors who are out every night for 1-2 hours blowing and bagging leaves. Funk that.

For more organic material, I'll toss out some humic and kelp year round while the ground isn't frozen and I'll topdress with compost twice from spring-August. That's my plan!


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Same. When I lived up North, I waited until the trees were empty before I started raking. We had a large yard, so I used a big tarp, which I raked leaves onto, then dragged the tarp to the street where the city would suck them up with a massive leaf vac.


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## jabopy (Nov 24, 2018)

We live at the bottom of the street, the wind blows all leaves (and peoples litter) down and into our property blocking drains and gutters. If I don't clean up on a regular basis I'd have problems.


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## Babaganoosh (Apr 21, 2019)

I get out of work every day at 130 pm. I have lots of free time. We have leaf pick up at the street so it's easy. I go out every 3 or 4 days and mow them up. I've found that mulching them after overseeding or seeding seems to thin the turf out. I don't really go out and try to get every leaf evert time. I just get the bulk of them on the lawn. The corners or edges against the fence only gets the good treatment after everything is down.

Plus my trees don't drop leaves simultaneously. I've got a big maple that dropped all the leaves over 2 weeks ago. Another maple still has 50% of its leaves. Same with the oaks. The locust and sassafras haven't had leaves in over a month.


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## cfinden (Aug 7, 2018)

I agree that this is the way to do it, wait for all of them to fall.

Only issue that I experience up North is that sometimes we get a ton of snow before ALL the leaves fall and I end up with a ton of leaves under the snow all winter.


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

cfinden said:


> I agree that this is the way to do it, wait for all of them to fall.
> 
> Only issue that I experience up North is that sometimes we get a ton of snow before ALL the leaves fall and I end up with a ton of leaves under the snow all winter.


Thanks for the early snowfall caveat. Since this will be my first season of waiting until late Fall to mulch, I will be watching the weather forecast to avoid having all those leaves buried under snow until March.

If snow is coming and there are leaves all over my yard, it will be hammer-time to start mulching BEFORE the heavy snowfall. Back in November of about 1995 we had about four feet of snow fall in just five days! Thanks for the heads-up.


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## HomerGuy (Jun 5, 2017)

I usually do my leaves 2-3 times. I personally find it to be easier to stay on top of them, plus it gives me an excuse to get outside and do some "lawn care" a few last times before the snow flies. I don't get too carried away with it though. Blow the leaves out of the beds and into the lawn, then ride around on the ZTR till they are nicely shredded. Pretty easy.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

My grass is still growing when my leaves are falling so they get mulched in anyway.


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