In late fall, leaf removal from lawns and landscapes is a common maintenance activity for homeowners. This season’s warmer fall temperatures have increased the time period for completing this chore before winter. But, don’t delay, heavy leaf debris allowed to remain on lawns during winter can cause thinning of the turf by preventing light from reaching the leaves, reducing or blocking photosynthesis for turf plants growing under the debris. Lawns with heavy leaf debris remaining on the turf through winter are also more susceptible to snow mold, a winter fungal disease, which can cause damage to turf. Mulching leaves with a rotary mower several times throughout fall is a great way to remove leaves from lawns without raking, blowing, or bagging. When choosing to mulch leaves, dryer leaves mulch more easily and homeowners should not try to shred too many leaves in a single mowing. Choosing mulching as a method of leaf removal may also help improve soil health and add nutrients to the lawn through the return of shredded plant debris to the soil. If the leaf debris is too thick, the homeowner will need to remove leaves from the lawn using a rake, blower, or other equipment.

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