Q. Is it
alright to run over fallen tree leaves with
my lawnmower and let the shredded leaves remain on my
lawn? Won't it add to my thatch layer if I mulch leaves into my
lawn?
A. It actually depends
on how many leaves have fallen on your lawn. It would not hurt to
shred the leaves with your lawn mower so that the pieces of leaves
left on your lawn are small enough to break down quickly and not
smother the grass. If you can see more grass than leaves when you
are finished, it should not be a problem. However, if you have so
many leaves that shredding them with your lawn mower completely
covers the grass, it is not a good idea.
The idea is that shredding the leaves and allowing them to remain on
the lawn adds some nutrients and organic matter to the soil. It also
keeps valuable organic matter out of the landfill and puts it to
work improving the quality of the soil in your yard.
If you have too many leaves for this to work well, you have the
option of bagging some of the leaves as you mow. Then you can dump
the shredded leaves into a compost pile, or use them as a mulch in
shrub or flower borders, or under trees in your yard. (It is not a
good idea to do this with whole leaves because they break down very
slowly. They can mat together and become almost water repellent).
Once you get the worst of the leaves cleaned up, you can
mulch the
remainder with the mower and allow them to stay on your lawn.
Leaves that remain after raking can be
safely mulched with your lawnmower
Thatch is nothing more than a tangled mat of sloughed off stems and
roots that forms as a grass plant grows. Grass variety,
soil pH
(acidity or alkalinity), and your fertilization and watering
practices have much more impact on thatch formation than leaving a
thin layer of finely shredded leaves behind in the fall.
Late fall, after grass has stopped actively growing for the season
but before the ground freezes, is an excellent time to fertilize
your lawn. It may seem counterintuitive, but many plants, including
grasses, put on tremendous root growth at this time of year. The
typical recommendation is to apply one to one-and-a-half pounds of
actual nitrogen per thousand square feet. This additional nitrogen
will help the shredded leaves break down more efficiently.
To calculate how much of a given fertilizer is needed to apply one
pound of actual nitrogen, simply divide one pound by the percentage
of nitrogen in
fertilizer you are using. That information can be
found by looking at the three numbers – known as the analysis –
found on every package of fertilizer. They indicate the percentage
of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and are always listed in that
order. For example, to apply one pound of actual nitrogen per
thousand square feet if the fertilizer you are using has an analysis
of 28-3-10, divide 1 by .28. The result is 3.6 pounds of 28-3-10 per
thousand square feet.
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