Most of us mulch our grass clippings right back into our lawns. This provides valuable nutrients for our lawns and saves us trips to the yard waste drop off sites. It turns out that mulching leaves back into your lawn is also good for our lawns and reduces the time we spend raking in the fall.

how to mulch leaves on your lawn

It is important that you use your mower to mulch leaves into your lawn. Mowers cut leaves into small pieces, allowing them to fall into and beneath the grass canopy instead of resting upon it. This process results in increased surface area, which in turn makes it easier for insects and microbes to consume the leaves and get the nutrients back into the soil.

There have been several long term studies of the effects of leaving leaves on the turf. These studies all conclude that your lawn will benefit from mulching leaves right into the grass. Lawns where leaves were mulched directly into the turf where healthier than the lawns with no leaves added and had fewer weeds. Leaf mulching also provides a softer surface in the following summer providing a cushion that would be more forgiving for persons engaging in physical activity in the area.