Raking Leaves And Fall Lawn Tips – AG Matters

It may be the job many of us hate the most, raking leaves. But it's essential to maintaining your lawn and a great source of mulch. The Master Gardeners at Cornell Cooperative Extension have some tips on using leaves for mulch and other fall lawn tips.

Piles of fallen leaves should not just sit on top of a lawn all winter long; the leaves can end up matting causing damage to the turf grass crowns. Leaves should be shredded using a mower and the shredded leaves can be added back to the lawn as a thin layer of mulch. Also, one can shred excess leaves and add to garden beds this fall. The shredded leaf mulch will break down and add natural nutrients to the garden beds and lawns. Excess leaves can be raked, bagged and saved to be shredded with a hand mower in the spring and then added as a mulch and used as a weed barrier around one’s flower and/or vegetable plants.

October is not the month to seed a lawn with cool season grasses due to falling temperatures. Keep in mind for next year, the best time to seed cool season grasses is during the end of August into early September. Instead, October is a good time to install sod.  Once installed, make sure to water it daily for the first two weeks to help the roots set.

Cornell offers more information and tips on home lawn care at their Turfgrass website and The Master Gardeners answer any questions on the Horticulture Hot Line Wednesdays and Fridays, 9am to 12noon at 315-736-3394.

SOURCE: Cornell Cooperative Extension