Five Reasons You Shouldn’t Rake In Western Colorado
While your lawn will look nice and clean without the leaves in it, leaving the leaves where they lie is actually a good idea.
I know that seems odd to read, but hear me out.
I have five excellent reasons why not raking is a good idea.
1 - No back breaking exercise for you to do.
Imagine looking out of your front window, a nice hot cup of coffee in your hands and leaves all over your yard. For many, that would be unsettling, but not you, because you know what else is coming in this list, so you just enjoy all of those colorful leaves in your yard, and no backache to go along with it.
2 - Leaves feed the lawn with nutrients
Now we get into the serious side of why you shouldn't rake your leaves. As the leaves break down, they release their remaining nutrients into the soil, feeding it. Decomposing stuff like leaves feed your lawn and keep it healthy, even through the winter.
3 - Speaking of winter
Plants freeze. Grass freezes. We freeze. How do we keep from freezing? We wear a coat. Well, think of the leaves as your lawn's winter coat. Try spreading the leaves all around your yard to form a thin protective layer of leaves for your lawn. You will love the results in the spring.
4 - A natural weed killer
Piling some leaves over weeds will help eradicate the weed. During the winter, as the leaves break down on the weed, it chokes it out. Once spring arrives, the weed will be gone.
5 - Low-cost housing for lawn friendly bugs
As unattractive as that may sound, some bugs actually do good things for your lawn. And having a place to stay will only encourage them to work harder.
Next spring, when you uncover your lawn you will see just how much healthier the lawn will be because you slacked in the fall.