What Do You Do With Leaves?!?

Fall is here and so are the leaves!  One of the questions we get during this time of year is what should our customers do with all their leaves?  If they are in your beds we recommend you leave them alone.  They eventually break down into the soil, providing great organic material for the roots of your plants.  Your lawn however, is a different matter.  Having a thick blanket of leaves can cause a few problems.  One is that a thick layer of leaves can promote fungus.  Another is that the leaves form an insulation barrier for your grass, which is great, until the inevitable gust of wind blows, leaving your lawn exposed to sudden cold.  The inability to acclimate when this occurs is especially hard on St. Augustine and zoysiagrass.  So, the original questions, what should you do with all those leaves?  If at all possible mulch them.  Most mulching mowers can mulch them finely enough after a couple of passes to dispatch the leaves back into your lawn.  If, after after a couple of passes, you’re still left with a ton of leaves, or you don’t have a mulching mower, your best option is to go old school and grab the rake and trash bags.