That neighbor who told me to quit mulching my leaves was right all along

Last October my neighbor Carol kept telling me to stop bagging my leaves and just mow over them into the grass. I ignored her for two seasons because I thought it would look messy. Has anyone else had their lawn actually get greener after ditching the leaf bags?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.troy2d ago

Well I'll be darned, Carol knew what she was talking about. It's funny how we fight the simple solutions in life because they don't look perfect on the surface but end up working better in the long run. Leaves breaking down right where they fall is just nature doing its job without us overcomplicating things.

emmaallen2d ago

Oh man, you hit the nail right on the head with that. It's like we're all trained to think natural and simple means it's not good enough because it doesn't look like a magazine cover. But the leaves are doing exactly what they're supposed to. They rot down, feed the soil, and everything just keeps going without us needing to buy a bunch of bags or spend a Saturday raking. I've been leaving mine alone for a few years now and my garden has never been healthier. It's almost too easy.

henderson.vera2d ago

See @emmaallen I get what you're saying but I don't totally agree. A thin layer of leaves is fine, sure, but if you let them pile up too thick they mat down and smother the grass or block light from reaching smaller plants. I had a patch of lawn I left alone for two seasons and it turned into a damp mess underneath, moss took over and it took forever to fix. Some leaves like oak and maple break down slow too, so you end up with a crust that water just runs off of instead of soaking in. It works if you keep it light but just leaving them all isn't a one size fits all solution.