Watching the leaves turn color and fall is something to appreciate until we have a huge mess on our hands. If you’re like most people, you probably have a few trees in your yard that drop their leaves every year. Leaves can be a pain to remove, but with the right tools it can be a breeze. In this blog post, we will discuss four different tools that help to remove leaves from your yard: a leaf rake, leaf tarp, leaf blower and yard vacuum. We’ll also give you some tips on how to use each of these tools effectively for leaf removal!
Leaf Rake
The objective here is to complete this nasty job with as few blisters as possible. That being said, no matter how big your yard is, the first items you’ll need are a good rake and a pair of leather palm gloves to protect your hands. Leaf rakes are great for small yards or areas with light leaf coverage. To use a leaf rake, simply rake the leaves into a pile and then bag them up for disposal. Be sure to rake the leaves towards you so that you don’t end up scattering them all over the place!
Preferably, your rake is lightweight and covers a large area of ground. We would recommend plastic over bamboo. You’ll probably get a couple extra years out of it. If you’re working on anything under one eighth of an acre these may be all the tools you’ll need.
Leaf Blower
If your yard is a little larger, say around a quarter of an acre, you may want to consider a little more power. A hand-held electric blower will certainly simplify the job. All leaf blowers are rated by CFMs (cubic feet per minute), which is a measurement of how much air they blow each minute. Some of the better electric handhelds actually have higher CFMs than their counterpart gas powered models. They are relatively light, easy to hold, and rather inexpensive ($150 to $300). Luckily, the majority of them are now cordless. We have read many reviews, and it seems the winner in this category is the EGO Power+ LB6504 650 CFM Variable-Speed Leaf Blower.
Living on a half-acre or more? It’s time to bring in the big guns. Gas powered backpack blowers are worn on your back with a harness that goes over your shoulders just like a backpack. The blower tube bends around to the front of your body and is typically where you’ll find the throttle control mounted. You’ll find these blowers available in the two to three hundred dollar ranges. One would deduce how popular they’ve become just from huge inventories being stocked at large home centers. Personally, we have always been apprehensive of having a gas-powered engine mounted to my back.
Walk Behind Leaf Blower
Our preference here is the walk-behind leaf blower. They will shorten your time clearing the yard considerably. Usually the choice of commercial users, they are mounted on wheels and are usually found with a side blower that has a diverter which can redirect the air to the front (ahead of your direction). These blowers are fairly expensive. Besides the price, the one downer about these machines is their weight. If you’re dealing with some steep inclines then perhaps a backpack style is your better solution.
Now for good reason you may ask, “Why spend all that money on something I’ll use once a year?” Very valid question so, we suggest you check with your local rental center and grab one for a day or so.
Leaf Tarp
Our best trick is to buy a 12’ x 16’ tarp. Then, when the leaf piles become so big that your blower doesn’t move them anymore, you rake them onto the tarp and drag the leaves into the woods where they become earth again.
“But, I don’t have a wooded area on my property to rake or blow my leaves into. So, what should I do?” Until recently, and in a lot of places, you could simply rake the leaves out to the street where a city truck with a big vacuum would come suck them away. Today we’re not so lucky. What this means is you’ll have to bag your leaves for removal.
So, what are your leaf bag options? For years you could simply use large plastic garbage bags, but more and more municipalities are banning their use because they do not decompose along with the leaves. Generally the alternative is paper leaf bags. Paper bags solve the decomposition issue but they have their downside too. First, a lot of trees are sacrificed to produce them. Second, they typically have a smaller capacity than plastic bags which means packing a lot more bags. And finally, wet weather can be troublesome to paper’s durability. So, in our opinion, your best option is biodegradable cornstarch based bags such as BioBag Lawn & Leaf. You will still have an issue with keeping the bags dry but you’ll be saving a few trees and these bags come in various sizes.
Yard Vacuum
Finally, if you have a lot of leaves, you may want to consider using a yard vacuum for leaf removal. Yard vacuums are great for quickly removing large amounts of leaves. This device can vacuum, shred, chip, and pack many types of yard garbage, including leaves. To use a yard vacuum, simply aim the nozzle at the pile of leaves and turn on the motor. The leaves will be sucked into the bag that you can then dispose of. Be sure to empty the bag often so that it doesn’t get too full and cause the vacuum to lose suction!
If you like to garden, leaves are nutrient-rich and are great for composting. For this you’ll want to get a leaf shredder, a.k.a., leaf mulcher. And as a side benefit for those who have to bag their leaves, leaf shredders can turn ten bags of leaves into one!
Leaf raking is one of those tasks that many people dread. It’s time consuming and can be quite tedious. But is it actually necessary to rake leaves off the lawn?
Should I Rake Leaves off the Lawn?
There are a few opinions on this subject. Some believe that leaving the leaves on the lawn will eventually kill the grass beneath them. Others argue that the leaves can actually provide nutrients for the grass and help it to grow. And still others believe that it doesn’t really matter one way or another.
So, what’s the verdict? Is it necessary to rake leaves off the lawn?
The answer may surprise you. According to experts, leaf raking is not actually necessary in most cases. In fact, leaving the leaves on the lawn can actually be beneficial in some cases.
Leaves that are left on the lawn will eventually break down and provide nutrients for the grass. This can actually help the grass to grow stronger and healthier. Additionally, leaves that are left on the lawn can also help to protect the grass from extreme weather conditions. You don’t necessarily need to rake leaves off the lawn.
In fact, in some cases, it may even be beneficial to leave them on! Leaves are an important part of a healthy ecosystem, and raking them up can actually do more harm than good. Leaves provide vital nutrients to the soil and help protect against erosion. They also provide homes for insects and other small creatures. Raking them up disrupts this natural process and can cause problems for your yard in the long run.
So, unless you’re dealing with an excessive amount of leaves, it’s best to leave them be. Your yard will thank you for it!
So there you have it! Four ways to remove leaves from your yard: leaf rake, leaf tarp, leaf blower and yard vacuum. Be sure to try out each one and see which works best for you! And remember, if all else fails, you can always just wait for the wind to blow them away!