As the weather starts to cool off, the leaves will begin to change and start falling from trees into your yard. One of the most common questions that homeowners have when it comes to leaves is whether they need to be raked. There are several different things that must be taken into consideration when considering whether you should rake your leaves, and it is important to know some alternatives to raking the leaves. Keep reading to learn more.

When Should You Rake the Leaves in Your Yard?

There are a few different reasons as to why you should rake up the leaves in your yard. First, you may live in an HOA that requires you to do so to ensure that the neighborhood remains tidy-looking. If you fail to rake the leaves, you could be fined.

Another reason is that your lawn could suffer damage. For example, allowing the leaves to sit on top of the grass could suffocate it, keep water and nutrients from getting to the grass and soil, invite disease and pests, and keep new blades of grass from growing. In addition, leaves can also cause your downspouts and storm drains to clog up, your sidewalks to get slippery, and your deck to stain.

What Are the Alternatives to Raking Leaves?

If raking leaves is not something that you want to put on your to-do list, but you do want to get rid of the leaves in your yard, there are some other options that you have available. First, you could choose to simply mow over the existing leaves in the yard. If you do this, you will want to wait until the leaves are nice and crisp, which will allow the mower blades to chop them up into small pieces. This will not only protect the grass but feed it as well.

Regardless of how you get rid of the leaves in your yard—raking, blowing, or mowing—you can consider bagging the leaves up and adding them to or creating a compost pile. However, make sure that you understand leaves are unable to compost themselves. Leaves will need to be turned on a regular basis and given additional organic material and moisture. If this is something that you are interested in, you will want to read up on composting 101. This can be a great way to get rid of the leaves in your yard as well as food scraps.

If you do not want to mess with raking the leaves in your yard but do not want the potential consequences of leaving them, consult with a lawn care professional in your area. For more information, contact a company like Little Rock Lawns.