Instead of raking leaves, stuffing them into lawn bags and hauling the bags to the curb, mow them with a mulching mower – a lawnmower with a specially designed high deck and a mulching blade that chops leaves into fragments as tiny as confetti. As the shredded leaves decompose, they will act as a natural fertilizer and weed control agent.

For those who insist on a spotless lawn year-round and might be concerned about what the neighbors will think of the brown leaf bits the mower leaves behind, don’t worry. The shredded leaves will filter through the grass and disappear from sight. In northern lawns that go dormant or in grasses such as Bermuda or zoysia that turn a dormant brown color in winter, the shredded leaves may even blend right in. Better yet, if you continue this practice each fall, in a few years mulching can help you have a luscious spring and summer lawn free of dandelions and crabgrass that will be the envy of people up and down the street.

Leaves that are not removed from your lawn block sunlight and air from reaching the grass. The problem becomes worse when it rains or there are early snows that turn fluffy layers of leaves into soggy mats. The lack of light and air circulation can cause turf diseases or, in a worst-case scenario, may even smother the grass and kill it.

The optimum time to shred fallen leaves is when you can still see some grass poking up through them. Depending on the number and size of trees on your property – or your neighbor’s – you may need to mow your yard more than once a week. If the leaves are so thick that they make mowing difficult, you may need to add the bag attachment or even rake them. You can also put the bag attachment on a mulching mower and spread mulched leaves on landscape and vegetable beds.

Don’t wait until spring to mulch leaves and spread them on landscaped beds.  If you place leaves on garden beds in the fall, they will biodegrade almost completely, if not completely, by spring. If, on the other hand, leaves are not placed on garden beds until spring, the decomposition process will compete with plants for nutrients just when the plants need it most, to make energy to produce the flowers you’ve waited all winter to enjoy!