Importance of Raking Leaves in the Fall

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.