As the season changes, fallen leaves can become a common challenge for homeowners. While they may seem like an eyesore and create extra work, there are plenty of ways to manage them. With these fall landscaping tips, you can easily clear your landscape and keep your yard looking tidy.
Fall Landscaping Tips:
Get a good rake
Leaving leaves (see what we did there?) on your grass can lead to a variety of issues. Simply put, piles of leaves can suffocate your grass when wet which can lead to a moldy, boggy surface. Even if the leaves are dry, they’ll block sunlight to your grass, starving it of the ability to photosynthesize. Using a rake to clear the leaves is a great, cost-effective way to move your leaves to another location. We would recommend a very wide rake that can capture a lot of leaves in one swoop.
Use a leaf blower
A second part of your fall landscaping tips is to consider using a leaf blower if you’re not a fan of strenuous garden raking. While leaf blowers can be a bit more expensive, they save you time and effort while still effectively clearing leaves.
A few pro tips for using your leaf blower more effectively
- Work with the wind – figure out which way the wind is blowing and work with that wind direction. Trust us, you’ll save a lot of effort.
- Divide the leaves into smaller piles – it’s tempting to put all your leaves into one big pile, but these can be easily blown away with a gust of wind. Try to focus on different sections of your landscape and blow the leaves into a corner or smaller area to remove later.
- Have the right blowing angle – by pointing the nozzle downwards you’re going to focus the air pressure in a smaller area, reducing the chance of the leaves and other debris blowing everywhere.
Use the leaves in your garden
Next, instead of bagging up leaves for waste, consider how beneficial they can be for your garden. Here are a few easy fall landscaping tips to make the most of them.
- Create mulch – leaves are perfect to use as mulch around your trees, bushes, flowers and other shrubs. They’ll help to prevent weeds from growing and will keep in the moisture and warmth.
- Use in your soil – fallen leaves a great addition to your soil. Earthworms and other microogranisms are drawn to leaf matter, and this is good news! If you’re laying new soil down simply mix in your leaves, or add them in to existing garden beds.
- Add to compost – fallen leaves are considered ‘brown waste’ in compost terminology, this is because they are full of carbon. Add these to your compost pile alongside other ‘green waste’, like grass clippings, veggie scraps or spent flowers.
In all of the above cases, we recommend shredding your leaves beforehand!
Make sure your gutters are covered and cleared of leaf debris
Make sure your gutters are covered and cleared of leaf debrisAnother one of the essential fall landscaping tips is to prevent clogged gutters, which can lead to water leaks, ceiling damage, and even foundational problems. To keep your gutters clear, start by removing as many leaves as possible by hand, then use a hose to flush out any remaining debris. After your gutters are clean, consider adding preventative measures like gutter covers or spikes to stop leaves from collecting while still allowing water to pass through. This will make your fall cleanup easier next year!
End Note
If you’ve tried the above (or maybe you lack the daylight hours to), it might be time to call in the landscaping experts. The team at Eichenlaub are happy to organize a landscaping maintenance schedule that works in with your household’s needs, as well as the needs of the season.
