Why It's Important to Remove Leaves From Your Lawn
Written by Rachel Downey
My Mission: To educate my customers on how to achieve the perfect lawn and landscaping.
If you only have a few leaves on your lawn, you can leave them there. Leaves can act as compost for your soil. But if you have a thick layer of leaves on your lawn, you need to take care of it. Here are the reasons why leaving leaves on your lawn is bad.
1. If there is a thick layer of leaves on your lawn, the grass can be smothered.
The leaves will block sunlight from reaching your grass and limit air circulation, creating an unhealthy lawn.
2. Leaves can block water and nutrients from reaching the grass roots.
Besides blocking sunlight and air, leaves can block water and nutrients. Your grass needs these to stay healthy.
3. Leaves can keep your grass from growing in the spring.
Both of the previous reasons can prevent your grass from growing in the spring. Make sure to take care of your leaves in the fall to avoid this.
4. Leaves can cause diseases.
One disease caused by leaves is snow mold. It is a lawn fungus that causes dead spots on your lawn. After it snows and begins to melt, leaves left on your lawn become soggy and provide the perfect environment for snow mold to grow.
5. Leaves can attract animals.
Animals, like mice, will love leaves left on your lawn. Mice can damage your lawn and attract more animals.
6. Certain types of leaves take too long to decompose.
Oak leaves are a common type that does not decompose quickly. This will make the previous five reasons more likely to occur.