Leave the leaves alone!
Mulch them with a mower, if you must, but don’t rake.
Well, I think I just saved you countless weekend hours doing a task that you really don’t want to do. Maybe you have a teenager at home who would gladly do this boring chore for you in exchange for a fistful of Abe Lincoln portraits, but they shouldn’t do it either.
I realize that somehow, someone out there in Soil-land might actually enjoy raking or blowing, bagging or burning or whatever it is you do to leaves.
Don’t. Here’s why:
Recently, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a non-partisan and not-for-profit conservancy organization, says leaving (no pun) fallen leaves on your lawn is a small act of nature conservancy that can support biodiversity, and actually enrich the soil.
“Backyard animals, such as toads, frogs and many pollinators, once lived in forests and have adapted to hibernate under leaves,” said Dan Kraus, NCC’s senior conservation biologist. “The leaves provide an insulating blanket that can help protect these animals from the cold and temperature fluctuations during the winter.”
Plus, he also points out that another benefit of not raking (and saving you from the back-breaking chore) is how it helps your soil. As leaves break down, they provide a natural mulch, which helps enrich the soil.
“While it’s great for cities to provide collection programs to compost leaves, the most energy-efficient solution is to allow nature to do its thing and for the leaves to naturally break down in your yard,” says Kraus.
Consider this: Who rakes the enormous amount of leaves in a forest? Yes, it’s a silly question. No one does. And how thick and verdant do forests grow?
I rest my case!
Leave a Reply