This Lawn Mistake Will Make Raking Leaves So Much Harder

Although Mother Nature's glory is unmatched during fall, this season also brings the back-breaking task of raking fallen leaves. Raking leaves is necessary to clean your backyard, especially if you're dealing with a thick layer, to ensure they don't suffocate the grass underneath. While waiting till all the leaves have fallen will minimize the time and effort you spend on this task, don't wait too long or ignore weather forecasts predicting rainstorms (or even light rain), as this lawn mistake will make it harder to rake leaves.

Like birds of a feather, fallen wet leaves stick together. This might give you the impression that collecting clumped leaves together will be easy; this is far from the truth. The leafy clumps will be much heavier, making it harder for you to rake them. They'll also make it harder for new foliage to grow come spring. Moreover, their texture could lead to unwarranted slipping and falling accidents.

The best thing to do is rake the fallen leaves before they get caught in the rain and become wet. But if a sudden deluge catches you off guard, leave the fallen leaves be and give them some time to dry a little before attempting to remove them from your yard. Wet leaves aren't just difficult to rake; they might also damage and break your trusty tool, and the force you'll have to exert to pick up the leaves might also injure the landscape. Moreover, they'll render your yard vacuum and leaf blower useless unless you own a machine with powerful propulsion systems.

However, if you can't wait for them to dry out, get your best leaf rake out and rake from one end to the other in straight lines along the length of your turf. This will ensure you're not trying to rake up too much at one time. Try not to exert too much pressure and be gentle but steady. Maintain small piles of the gathered leaves and dispose of them immediately to prevent mold from settling in.