Leaf Management System

[Andy Hoyt]

Okay, so now that about two thirds of the leaves are on the lawn I guess it's time to start thinking about relocating them. I've always just raked 'em up onto a huge piece of burlap and dragged it off into the woods. But I'm feeling lazy and achy and old this year and wondering if there are better or easier ways.

So, what do you do?

I posted this in the power tool section for obvious anticipatory reasons.

[Jon Farley]

I just grind them up a couple times with the mower. They dissappear by spring.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Andy I take a lawn mower to mine. Does a pretty good job. Then I throw them on the wife's garden and then rototill them in.

[Frank Pellow]

I rake them up onto a tarp then pile them behind my compost. Then, during the late spring, summer, and early autumn, I add them a bit at a time to our compost bin.

[Per Swenson]

Andy,

This is one of those subjects that I often rant

about to anyone who will listen. It has more to do

with human nature then Mother nature.

Although brain impaired on the subjects of horticulture,

landscaping and lawn maintenance, common sense and my

observations of the natural order of things, leads me

to the conclusion that the leaves should be mulched

where they fall with the mower.

Now try explaining this concept to my conspicuous consumptive

neighbors who keep the fleet of lawn care guys in brand new trucks.

One fellow in the neighborhood can be seen often following up their work

with scissors upon hands and knees. I need to stop now, before I start to

carry on about lawn leaf bags, the roar of leaf blowers, and the concept

of selling fertilizer after the leaves have been removed.

I Fine mulch my leaves's and leave 'em where they lie.

Per

[Steve Evans]

I need to stop now, before I start to

carry on about lawn leaf bags, the roar of leaf blowers, and the concept

of selling fertilizer after the leaves have been removed.

I Fine mulch my leaves's and leave 'em where they lie.

Per

Per

That's right up there with folks who bag up their grass clippings, and then throw down high nitrogen fertilizer to help the lawn grow. Lots of the nitrogen ends up in the ground water system. And leaf blowers. Bloody things throw out as much pollution as driving a decently tuned car for 20 miles, nevermind the noise factor. I haven't raked leaves or bagged grass for 20 years, all just goes back on the lawn.

[Greg Heppeard]

The front yard has a walnut tree growing in it. I rake them up an put them behind the shop in the back yard. The walnuts are a natural flee and tick repellant. I have a maple in the back yard. Those leaves just get mulched back into the soil.

[Lee DeRaud]

We always have strong "Santa Ana" winds off and on this time of year, so the leaves end up across the street, easy-peasy. I'm just glad the guy on the upwind side has a pool...no trees.

[Andy Hoyt]

Thanks guys - my mower is in fact a mulching mower and I usually do just this with that last third of the leaves. One year I mulched all three thirds and it was the end of July before the lawn felt right the following year. I'm not one of those AR fertilizing types. My usual yard maintenance protocol is to mow, rake, enjoy its presence, drink beer and hope the trees fall down before I croak, so I can cut 'em up for turning stock.

The problem is that I have just under an acre of lawn ringed by huge beautiful but prodigious leaf producing maples. In addition, my property is ususally the gathering spot for all leaves from upwind neighbors. It is a lot of leaves.

The second problem is that raking sucks.

The third problem is that the bulk of my "Leaf Raking System" has gone off to college and not around to help. Should have had more spawn!

Maybe I'll just mulch all of it and hope that the last time I did this was an anomoly.

[Rob Russell]

Since this is posted in the Power Tool Forum, I'll give you a picture of the power tool I use for the leaves. I bag them with the mower and take them to our town's leaf compost site. When I need compost later on, it's free.



FYI, this is the only time of year that I bag. We get too many leaves, too quicky to effectively mulch them.

[Andy Hoyt]

Since this is posted in the Power Tool Forum, I'll give you a picture of the power tool I use for the leaves. I bag them with the mower and take them to our town's leaf compost site. When I need compost later on, it's free.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachme...4&d=1067566271

FYI, this is the only time of year that I bag. We get too many leaves, too quicky to effectively mulch them.

Jeez, Bob! No plow, no lumber rack, no scratches. Must be defective, huh?

Amen to the too many leaves. Been raking non stop since my last post in this thread and barely made a dent. Too much on the ground for the mower. Time to recharge my batteries with some brew and try some more.

[John Miliunas]

I'm 110% with Per and the rest of the guys who let the stuff compost back in where it lies. I don't bag leaves or clippings. Besides the fact that I mow over an acre, when we bought this place, we weren't aware that, not only did we get a house and a shop but, the local Hilton for moles! Anything I can do to improve the looks of the lawn is totally eradicated by those useless creatures. Same goes for fertilizing. Too much of the stuff to begin with and, fertilizing makes the stuff grow thicker, faster. That, in turn, means taking more shop time away from me in more frequent mowing. Nope, I let Mother Nature take care of as much as I can!

[Byron Trantham]

Like Rob, I get too many, too fast. I have one oak that deposits 20-25 55gal bags mulched! I use my lawn tractor and catcher. That oak has a trunk that is easily 6' across and a lower limb spread of 30'! It's a beautiful tree but it's a pain in the Fall!

[Joe Pelonio]

We used to have to deal with that, but now we don't have leaves any more since the big leaf maple died. We have several 80-100 foot Douglas firs. When we get wind/rain this time of year they shed, and we get a layer of needles on everything, cars, driveway, lawn roof, into the gutters. You can't rake them you can vacuum them when the people and dogs track them into the house but outside only a leaf blower will do the job.

[Jim Becker]

I let the wind blow them away...