It's that time again when the pretty fall foliage will soon begin to tumble to the ground and cover up the turf. Instead of breaking your back raking, consider mowing the leaves back into the turf. So, if you're thinking about giving mowing a try here's what you need to know to be successful.
1. Make sure your mower has a sharp blade, after a long season of mowing, the blades may be dull at this time of year and trying to chop up leaves will be more challenging with a dull blade.
2. Raise the mower as high as it will go and mow at your normal speed, don't "rev" the throttle to the high jackrabbit setting and blaze around the yard. Try to mow the leaves when they are moist from the morning dew, but don't mow them when they're really wet. This will prevent the leaves from blowing all over the place and will help with your allergies.
3. Finally, don't let the leaves pile up too high before you mow. Too high would probably be greater than 3 to 4 inches of leaf depth on the turf. Good luck and give it a try; you may find that mulching leaves helps the turf by returning nutrients and organic matter, besides, it saves your aching back!
Source: Michigan State University Extension
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