(Click on the image for Ellen Paul's article in Greater Greater Washington)
- Leave those leaves on the ground. Yes, get them off the sidewalk and steps, where they are slippery when wet. Get them away from the door so you won’t track them into the house. Get them off the storm drains. Otherwise, let them be.
- But won’t leaves kill the lawn, you may ask? That’s an old myth. Research done at Michigan State University from 2003 to 2009 used mulched leaf litter on the campus lawns. The researchers found that that leaving the leaves on your yard in such a manner not only does your lawn no harm, but it can actually impede weed growth.
- So long as you are mowing the lawn, the leaves get mulched in the bargain. Both the grass clippings – which help the chopped-up leaves to decay – and the leaves will actually benefit the lawn. Of course, your lawn guy disputes that. Leaving the leaves cuts into his revenue. Thank the lawn guy for his advice. Leave the leaves.