How many mulched leaves can a lawn take?

[l008com]

Update:

So fall is here and I've been mulching ALL the leaves that land on my yard. I haven't been blowing the driveway leaves on to the lawn though, that would be a LOT. So I pick up the driveway leaves but all the rest I've been mulching. It's been working pretty well in the back with mostly maple leaves and other oddball trees. In the front, its blankets of oak leaves. I've been mulching the oaks and it's a lot but I keep doing it.

Will this actually help my grass growing come spring? We'll have to wait and see. I hope so because it has been WAY easier doing the leaves this way. My yard vacuum is a pain to use on the lawn, it's only good on driveway. So normally I have to leaf blow or rake all those leaves on to the driveway. This way its way faster and way easier! I also de-thatched the front lawn last fall so hopefully the soil is super enriched and things grow in nice and thick and green!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

In the front, its blankets of oak leaves.

Oak leaves are a bit acidic, but mine don't seem to harm the grass. Where I compost them I add a bit of wood ash as well, alkaline and potash.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

We do not let our lawn have hardly any. We do our best to pick up them all. Very little is left behind.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

We do not let our lawn have hardly any. We do our best to pick up them all. Very little is left behind.

Why? Seems like making work for yourself and depriving the lawn.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Why? Seems like making work for yourself and depriving the lawn.

Our lawn would be dead if I left more than just a little . Please understand, if I picked up none, my leaf layer would be up to my over my ankles. almost mid calf. Folks just do not get how many leaves we have . It has to come up.

 

[Mike Allen]

I often tend to roll my eyes upon hearing the term, 'lawn'.
Some will refer to a simple area covered with grass, as a lawn, whereas others suggest an area that looks like brushed green velvet.
Either ways, back to fallen leaves and what to do with them. Fallen leaves have a lot going for them. Worms love them often dragging them down through the soil. The leaves during their time have collected so much for the benefit of the plant, now has come the time for it all to return to the earth.

Many beneficial nutrients are stored in the leaves. Nitrogen perhaps being top of the list. So returning nitrogen to the soil must be good.

The practice of mowing them in situ is OK on general areas of grass, however on the more 'respected 'lawn' and specialised greens, grass courts,golf tees and more especially the bowling green. My suggestion is to rake the leaves off. IMO the smaller the leaves the better. Remember I mentioned worms loving the leaves. Where you get worms on such areas, you will be repaid with worm casts. Concerning the benefits of the leaves. The natural processing within the soil can have some visible external signs. Have you noticed following feeding your grass, how some patches appear darker than others. Too much feed in the one spot. This can and will happen with mower mulching.
Hope this helps.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I often tend to roll my eyes upon hearing the term, 'lawn'.

Don't know if you saw this? You might appreciate.

Know any gardening jokes ?

Someone posting in search of help to create the perfect lawn reminded me of this one. A new world tourist and his wife were visiting Canterbury cathedral, and he was mightily impressed by the beautiful green outside. As he was watching someone dressed in corduroy and pushing a wheel barrow...

www.gardening-forums.com

 

[Esther Knapicius]

And right now my leaf pile is burning. Yeah.

 

[l008com]

Another year, another month of mulching leaves.

So this spring and into summer, I didn't really notice any particular improvement to the normal quality of my already pretty decent lawn. That said, I apply fertilizer 2 to 3x per year anyway so I don't know that theres that much room for improvement when it comes to soil nutrients.

THAT SAID, it is so much easier doing it this way vs filling up with the lawn vacuum over and over and over, and then having to bring a trailer FULL of leaves to the down recycling center.

So yeah I encourage everyone to mulch not just their clippings, but also their leaves into the lawn. Today it was a little tough, the pile was so tall that it was hard to get the mower to run it over vs just plow it. But after doing extra passes on the particularly heavy areas, it is looking good.

So here's a few more videos so you can see the magic happen!
Short:

Short:

Long:

 

[big rockpile]

If you are putting Synthetic Fertilizer down the Leaves aren't going to do anything good because your killing the Microbs that break down the Leaves.

big rockpile

 

[Oliver Buckle]

If you are putting Synthetic Fertilizer down the Leaves aren't going to do anything good because your killing the Microbs that break down the Leaves.

big rockpile

I wouldn't expect the synthetics to provide anything to the microbe population, but I doubt they would kill them off, and even if they did we all know how hard it is to keep something sterile. Microorganisms are extremely good at finding their way into things and reproducing in huge numbers, that's their speciality. Besides I can't imagine last years mulch is still there.
What I do question is that it will provide nutrients, as I understand leaf mould is rather lacking in nutrients. What it does provide is vegetable matter that will get pulled into the earth by various things and provide moisture retention and drainage.
When soils are compared leaf mould takes longest for water to drain through it and retains most water when drainage stops. It is amazing stuff for moisture control, and fertility is nothing without that.

 

[big rockpile]

I wouldn't expect the synthetics to provide anything to the microbe population, but I doubt they would kill them off, and even if they did we all know how hard it is to keep something sterile. Microorganisms are extremely good at finding their way into things and reproducing in huge numbers, that's their speciality. Besides I can't imagine last years mulch is still there.
What I do question is that it will provide nutrients, as I understand leaf mould is rather lacking in nutrients. What it does provide is vegetable matter that will get pulled into the earth by various things and provide moisture retention and drainage.
When soils are compared leaf mould takes longest for water to drain through it and retains most water when drainage stops. It is amazing stuff for moisture control, and fertility is nothing without that.

We've decided this year to start mulching our Leaves and leaving them.

big rockpile