Leaves
We are in the “Dead of Winter” some like to say, but I still see a large amount of leaves laying around in yards. The last of the leaves (or at least 95%) have fallen and should be removed from your lawn. Lawn maintenance is a year round job, just not so much in the winter.
Leaves serve numerous purposes; some feel that leaves are good fertilizer for your lawn (grind them up with your mower), I’m not a big believer in the grind em’ up mentality simply because there are too many leaves. Yes, a small amount of leaves ground up by your mower will help (albeit a small portion) with your lawn, but the problem with this scenario is there are just too many leaves and that will not help your lawn, grass or soil next spring.
Blowers work very well, I like to blow the leaves into a pile or area and then remove the pile (preferable with a vacuum). Blowers move the leaves very well unless you have a large amount and/or wet leaves. Don’t expect too much from that hand held blower you bought from the big box store and the back pack blowers will have trouble once the leaf pile gets large. Leaf blowers work great for smaller areas.
My favorite method of leaf removal is our lawn vacuum system; it will remove large amounts of leaves and leave your lawn beautifully prepared for the spring. Our lawn vacuum systems are in two forms, the smaller of the two looks like a mower, except there are no blades, only a vacuum with a bagger, great for smaller leaf gathering jobs. Our commercial vacuum mounts to a tractor; it’s the same theory except on a larger scale for commercial leaf removal jobs.
Your lawn needs the winter, with its colder temperatures, snow and ice to lay dormant, once the ground temperature begins to rise in April, everything will return to life. Removing the last of the leaves from your lawn will make a positive impact on your lawn next spring.
Adam Taylor
704-213-9974
Taylor Lawn Care, Inc.
