Many love to see autumn leaves falling since they are such a romantic scene that we can see only once a year. However, too many leaves everywhere is another story. A lawn covered by a thick layer of leaves is likely to be an avenue for pest infestation and grass degradation. Let’s read on to explore why!
Your lawn might be smothered by leaves
To grow healthy, a lawn needs sufficient sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil. A thick layer of leaves therefore might prevent your lawn from getting water from irrigation and being exposed to sunlight, which is critical for photosynthesis. If it goes unpicked up for a few weeks, this might kill your lawn and form a breeding ground for insects and pests.
Even when the leaves start rotting, it facilitates fungus and mold to grow at the same time. Fungal diseases might sicken your leaves with colour spots such as yellow, white, or brown. Dollar spot is the most common lawn disease in autumn, of which symptoms are small or dollar-sized spots that can merge to create large clumps of a discolored patch of grass.
Weakened grass might grow slowly next season
If you ignore removing the leaves for weeks, chances are an increase in the mice population. You might be unable to notice this since they love to hide under the leaves. When the snow melts in the spring, you can realize how much damage mice have caused to your garden. Besides, smothering lawns coming out of winter dormancy will take a longer time to appear green, since they’re too inherently weak to develop new growth. You might even have to reseed some areas if needed.
When to remove the fall leaves?
Trees usually lose their leaves in October and November, so you’d better prepare to call for lawn leaf removal service during this time frame. Research by the University of Minnesota says that the leaves should not cover beyond 20% of your lawn, so don’t wait until all the leaves fall to get them removed all at once since it’s not the ideal solution. You need to make sure that there’re little to no leaves in your yard before the winter comes. Therefore, you might need at least two removal services sessions throughout the autumn, subject to the number of trees or your property size.