Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Tony Melton says you should rake leaves off your turf grass as they can insulate the grass, keeping it from going dormant which prepares your turf for winter. But don’t bag them and send them off to the landfill! Leaves are full of nutrients and make great organic matter.
Leaf litter is prized by many as mulch in flower beds and it provides good cover and shelter for small animals. So, in less formal parts of your yard you can put it right over the existing pine straw or bark you’ve already got in place. If you chop up the leaves with your lawn mower, they will break down more quickly and look a little neater. The lawn mower technique is really a good strategy to employ if you have leaves from an evergreen magnolia, live oak or sycamore – smaller pieces compost much faster.
