TO RAKE OR NOT TO RAKE - THAT IS THE QUESTION

SCATTERING OF LEAF MULCH WILL DECOMPOSE AND FEED THE SOIL

It's that time of year in Ontario when residents put their gardens to bed, burlap their fragile cedar trees for the winter and rake the leaves from their lawns.

Sometimes the backbreaking work of raking, lifting, bagging every last teeny tiny leaf from that honey locust tree can be tiresome.

What would happen to your lawn if you just left the leaves put? Would it kill the grass? Is it beneficial to the lawn to leave the leaves?

According to two Orangeville-area landscaping experts, a small number of leaves laying on your lawn, or in your gardens, can actually be horticulturally beneficial over the winter.

"Leaves that fall on your lawn can be mulched into smaller pieces by running over them with the lawn mower. A light scattering of leaf mulch on the lawn is beneficial — with the help of soil organisms, these leaf pieces will decompose and naturally feed your lawn and soil," said Sara Maedel, technician, sustainable home landscapes with the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) Authority.

"Excess leaves can then be raked into the garden where they will improve soil and provide valuable habitat for overwintering

beneficial insects — which in turn support the birds, amphibians, etc. that rely on insects for food."

Richard Reed, owner of Mono-based Dufferin Lawn Life landscaping since 1979, agreed that to some degree, leaving a few leaves or using a mulch mower to shred the leaves over a lawn can be beneficial.

"Instead of raking and

bagging the leaves that fall off the trees, try running over the leaves with a lawn mower to mulch them instead. This way you will be adding organic matter to the lawn, and this is a good thing," he said. "However, if you leave all the leaves on your lawn for the winter, it's going to be too heavy, and this will smother and kill the grass underneath."

In newer neighbourhoods where sod has been freshly laid by developers, Reed said leaving some leaf matter down is a very good choice.

"The construction companies typically scrape all the good topsoil off the property, and they put a very little amount of topsoil down before they lay the sod for the new lawn,"

Reed said. "The lawn may look great for a couple years, but then it starts to deteriorate and struggle to grow, so the more organic matter — such as mulched leaves — can keep on your lawn, the better.

"We also like to put worm casting as a top dressing to help further breakdown the organic matter, that way we get good diversity in the soil.

"It will still need a bit of water and fertilizer now and then, but we also have to remember the lawn is a living and breathing thing. The average home lawn actually produces enough oxygen for a family of four — if the lawn is healthy."

As a final tip, Maedel added that "leaf mould" can be made by raking leaves into a big pile or into a wire or wood frame.

"After one to three years — shredded leaves will decompose faster — fungus will have broken the leaves down into dark, rich compost that is great for flower or vegetable gardens."