Leaf raking season is in full swing, but if this has you feeling more distraught than delighted, there’s no need to worry. There are ways to make even a tedious chore like raking leaves, if not fun, then at least a little easier. Raking the leaves still not for you? You might also want to consider leaf removal services instead.
The 5 Best Ways to Get Rid of Leaves
1. Pick the Right Day, and If Not, at Least Go with the Flow
If you are like many people with full-time jobs and kids’ schedules to work around, leaf raking happens on one of 2 days – Saturday or Sunday. Unfortunately, mother nature may not always agree. Raking on a rainy or windy day is less than ideal, but in the latter case, the bad weather could actually work in your favour. Figure out which direction the wind is blowing in your yard and rake with the wind. If the leaf pile doesn’t end up where you wanted it, you can always use a tarp and move them later.
2. Mow Them Over
Why double up your workload when you don’t have to? If it’s early enough in the season, or you don’t have a thick coat of leaves covering your yard, you can skip the raking altogether and simply use the mulching setting on your lawnmower instead. Not only will this cut your yard work in half, but leaves also contain essential nutrients that can help your grass stay healthy over the winter and grow back thicker and greener come summer.
Don’t have a three-in-one lawn mover with a mulch setting? You can enlist a leaf removal service to take care of your mulching for you.
3. Bring Out the Big Guns
Although you may not want to break one out at 9 am on Saturday, a leaf blower is an investment you will never get tired of. Noise level aside, a leaf blower is one of the fastest, easiest ways to take care of your lawn maintenance, provided you have somewhere to blow the leaves that isn’t your neighbour’s lawn or the street.
4. Roll Out the (Blue) Carpet
Raking your leaves onto a carefully laid out tarp can save you a lot of time and energy getting rid of all the leaves you’ve collected. Rake your pile onto the tarp and drag it to your designated compost or yard waste pick-up area. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not bending over and picking up countless piles of wet leaves.
5. Before You Sit, Stomp Your Pile
If you find yourself in need of a break, 5 minutes to sit, or something cold to drink, don’t leave your pile without stomping it down first. You would be amazed how quickly 2 hours of work can be gone with the wind. Release your inner child and pack down those leaves before you go, or if you have an extra tarp, cover them up and secure them with a few good-sized rocks.
Raking leaves might not be at the top of your want-to-do list, but it should be high up on your need-to-do list. Neglecting your leaves now could spell disaster for your spring and summer lawn. Even though your grass won’t be growing during the colder months, it still needs to get the essentials – sunlight, water, and nutrients – to ensure it grows back healthy when the weather warms.
If, despite these tips, raking just isn’t something you feel like doing, call Harp’s Landscaping, your leaf removal specialists, to find out more about our affordable leaf removal services.