Can a Lawn Mower Pick up Leaves? What You Need To Know!

Anyone with a yard is aware that in addition to chopping grass, you also have to be concerned about the leaves that drop from trees in the yard. What do you do with them? Must you leave them scattered about on your freshly reduce lawn, or need to you pick them up and dispose of them? If you are going with the latter alternative, how do you choose them up?

Can you use a lawn mower to select up leaves? Indeed! A lawn mower with a bag connected to it is one particular of the swiftest methods of choosing up all the leaves from the lawn.

The mower, which was 1st powered by steam, has undergone numerous levels of technological evolution and is now able of carrying out much more features on your lawn, such as finding up leaves, shredding them, and employing them as mulch.

In this report, you will find out in-depth information about this, including some options to lawn mowers to choose up your leaves.

How Do I Pick Up Leaves From My Lawn?

There are a couple of techniques to get rid of excessive leaves from the lawn.

lawn mower racing
Image Credit: Ralf Geithe, Shutterstock

Raking vs. Mowing: Can You Mow Leaves Instead of Raking?

Raking is the most frequent approach of picking up leaves from lawns. There was a time when every person used rakes to get rid of leaves on the garden. Even so, when the garden mowing strategy came about, most men and women gladly switched above to it as a favored technique. Enable us make a transient comparison of the raking and mowing of leaves.

Raking:

Pros
  • This is one great way to exercise
  • The leaves gathered from raking can be used as a compost pile for other plants
  • Freshly raked lawns give off a tidy look.
Cons
  • Raking can be tedious and time-consuming
  • Disposing of the gathered leaves can be difficult

Mowing and Mulching

Pros
  • This is a faster and more effective approach
  • No need to worry about disposing of the leaves afterward
  • When mulched, leaves can serve as a natural fertilizer to improve the quality of the soil
Cons
  • When wet, mulched leaves can prevent the proper distribution of ventilation, sunshine, and moisture to the soil.
lawn mower racing
Image Credit: Ralf Geithe, Shutterstock

Two things can be done with leaves that have been mowed.

1.   Mowing and Bagging

This is the best process. All you need to have to do below is attach a grass-catching bag to the mower before you get started the method. This way, whilst you are working the garden mower more than the grass and chopping the grass, the leaves will be simultaneously picked and bagged.

2.   Mowing and Mulching

This approach involves shredding the leaves with the mower and then utilizing them to cover the soil.

When mulching, guarantee that you do not depart large piles of mulched leaves on a one location. The leaves ought to be spread evenly and reasonably because when a massive amount of mulch is dropped on a one place, it handles the blades of the grass, creating the lawn to suffocate over time.

Right after a although, the mulch will decompose to sort fertilizer for the garden. As it disappears, it will mix with the lower grass, and you can have your lawn hunting tidy once more.

Lawnmower in the spring
Image Credit:Ryan Nicoll, Unsplash

What to Do With Leaves That Have Been Picked Up With a Mower?

Occasionally, particularly for the duration of the tumble period, leaves are so abundant that even following mowing and mulching, you are nonetheless left with a bag of leaves. If you are questioning what to do with the leaves, here are a handful of valuable tips.

  • Use them as natural fertilizer: After spreading the mulch on the area where you picked the leaves, you can also spread the remaining mulch on your garden or other cultivating areas of your home. Shredded brown leaves decompose quickly and can boost the quality of any soil, making it fertile.
  • Insulation: Ever wondered how to protect baby plants during the winter season? Mulch can do this job perfectly.
  • Contact professional gardeners: If you have no further use of your bagged leaves, there might be some gardener around you who would thank you for it. Contact some gardeners and farmers around and check to see if they need it.

What Kind of Leaves Can I Pick Up With My Mower?

Dried leaves are the very best leaf varieties to be picked up making use of mowers. Here are some issues that you may possibly experience when choosing up damp leaves with the mower

  • Wet leaves will be harder to pick up, thereby putting more strain on the mower’s motor.
  • Wet leaves are likely to cling to the mower when in use and clog it.
  • Wet leaves are likely to stick in the catching bag, making the emptying process difficult.
  • If you manage to mulch wet leaves, dropping them back on any soil to be used as fertilizer can be detrimental. They are likely to form large clumps, and mulch is best distributed in small quantities.

It is constantly very best to let damp leaves to dry out prior to employing them as mulch.

Rotary Lawn Mower
Image Credit: Andres Siimon, Unsplash

Can All Lawn Mowers Be Used to Mulch?

No, not all lawn mowers can be utilised to mulch. A typical mower has a flat blade and performs by throwing the cut grass and the picked leaves into a bag hooked up to it.

On the other hand, a mulching mower has a curved blade and a distinct physique shape. It works by reducing the grass, recycling the items about the curved blade, and shredding it into scaled-down bits. It then throws it into both a bag hooked up to it or again to the floor if no bag is attached.

Can You Turn Your Regular Mower Into A Mulching Mower?

Yes. A standard mower can be converted into a mulching mower. The easiest way to attain this is to connect a conversion kit. You can get in touch with your machine’s company to discover out the availability of a package and buy one particular.

An additional way is to get your mower’s blade transformed from the 2-in-1 of a normal mower to the three-in-1 of a mulching mower.

Conclusion

It is safe to say that obtaining a mulching mower is a excellent investment for every lawn operator. The rewards of employing a garden mower to select up leaves outweigh the cons.

If you intend to get a garden mower after this, bear in mind to affirm that the device is able of mulching. If you currently very own a mower, you can also insert a conversion package or alter the blades to commence taking pleasure in these positive aspects.

Happy leaf picking!

Sources

Highlighted Picture Credit history: Wolfgang Hauke, Shutterstock

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