this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 43 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Leaves go away by themselves quickly, in my experience. It's worm food. Worms are good for soil health. It also feeds the plants and can act as insulation for roots of shrubbery during cold snaps. Yes, if it is a particular thick and wet layer, it can rot the grass underneath. I have seen green thumb people spread it around their lawn and shove it under their bushes. But I guess if you are going for constant golf course style, you have to buy other nutrient and manage the leaves. But golf lawns are ugly.

[–] SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 2 days ago (2 children)

They break up a lot quicker if you run over them with a mower, which can also spread out the bits leaving a tidier looking lawn, thus keeping the HOA happy (maybe)

[–] Ajen@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

HOAs get a lot of hate, but the last one I lived in actually recommended mowing the leaves instead of bagging them.

[–] SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

By far the best option. Putting them in bags takes forever, though they can then be reused for compost and the likes.

Not sure what the other commenter is talking about though. Unless they have like a single tree or something, I fail to see how the grass wouldn’t rot. There’s always this one guy in town who doesn’t clean it up and it smells awful down the street.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 2 days ago (4 children)

I'm doing an experiment. This year I raked a bunch of leaves next to a tree trunk last fall. They're still there, this spring.

[–] boreengreen@lemm.ee 17 points 2 days ago

Sounds like you have a compost pile. The tree is probably alright with that.

[–] MintyAnt@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah, mostly oak. Maybe some maple from neighbor trees. And maybe a few other species. But mostly oak.

[–] MintyAnt@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Yeah oak breaks down slowly. You can mow it in fall to break it down faster.

But a better question is just.. where do you actually need to rake? Obviously more wild/leaves = better, and you've already figured out where the leaves want to settle. Is that okay there? Or is it a used part of your lawn that you should just rake?

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 3 points 2 days ago

They like it there and have decided to remain.

Well yeah, peobably got too cold for them to rot they were refridgerated all winter. Of course i dont know exactly where you live or what the weather is like but give it a couple months.