#Rake October 21

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The leaves on trees have or will begin turning some vibrant colors. That also means that the leaves will begin falling and covering many lawns.

When leaves hit the ground the question becomes do you have to RAKE? If yes when should you RAKE?

If you are like me you have been led to believe that leaves piled on a lawn will suffocate or kill the grass. The experts say that may only occur if the bed of leaves is really heavy. Another cause may be heavy snow falling on a bed of leaves and causing snow mold. The heavy snow part is not a reality in Southeastern NC.

Instead of pulling out the RAKE when the first leaves begin to fall there may be a better strategy. There is consensus that waiting until the leaves are good and crunchy and then mow the leaves into little pieces is the way to go. Those small pieces serve as fertilizer for your lawn.

Here are a couple of articles that may guide you on the question to RAKE or not to RAKE.

Stop Raking Leaves – USA Today

Rake or allow leaves to stay on ground – Treehugger

I do realize that some of you may not own a RAKE but still have a leaf removal system so carry on.