Question: Is it important or necessary to rake falling leaves in the fall?
Answer: YES
Falling leaves in the fall look beautiful lying on our lawns and they are a part of nature which is a good thing, but your lawns health will diminish if those leaves remain. Lawns need to breathe, and if they are covered in leaves, that makes it impossible. By raking your leaves, its allows your lawn to breathe and NOT smother.
Following a heat filled summer, many grasses revitalize themselves in the cool fall weather which allows them to strengthen their root systems. With that being said, if that grass is covered in leaves, its unable to get the much needed sunlight that’s required as part of the revitalization process. Leaves that are left unraked, keeps the sunlight from doing its job and preparing the grass for a tough winter ahead and even worse, the following summers excessive heat, which will strain the grass even further.
When raking your leaves, its not necessary to get every last leaf on the ground. Simply mow over the remaining few leaves on the ground and nature will take care of itself. You can also use a mulching mower which will chop the leaves up to a fine texture which allows them to fall between the grass blades, thus acting as a fertilizer.
I had never thought about that, i take great pride in my lawn and garden in general yet never thought of this let alone knew about it.
Thank you for showing me this, you have opened my eyes and i think my lawn will be thanking you this winter. Awesome article!
Thank you for visiting our site. Yes, trees are a beautiful creation but if the leaves aren’t addressed in the fall, it can hurt your lawn. Adding to that though, when the leaves are removed from your grass, your lawn will be stronger and more full. The trees and grass work very well together when proper maintenance is done. Thanks again.
Thank you for this! I’ve never known which is best. Sometimes we wait until spring to tackle this big job, but after reading your post, i know it needs to be done in the fall. As a matter of fact, I should get out there and do it today! 🙂
You’re welcome Jackie. Glad to help. Your lawn will be grateful for the raking. Have a great day.
I once had a landscaper who talked to me about this very same thing. Something had been left of the lawn and he told me that it will kill the grass.
That’s why he also suggested a fall cleanup every year so as to not leave and leaves on the lawn because as you said, it needs to breathe.
I learned something that day and again here. Grass needs to “breathe.”
Thanks Rob for visiting our site. It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us and the leaves will be falling soon. Have a great day.