Raking Leaves This Fall? Think Again

Every Fall, millions of families add “rake leaves” to their to-do lists. People do it, but is leave racking really a necessity? Because Fall is on the horizon, we decided to do some snooping to answer this question.

TLDR raking leaves is usually not necessary. Unless your lawn is absolutely piled up or smothered by dead leaves, leaving some leaves behind can actually provide interesting benefits.
Here’s what they are.

Your Lawn Could Get Healthier

Nature never leaves anything to waste. Fallen leaves will decompose and return essential nutrients back to your lawn and other plants. Think of it as fertilizier – but 100% free. With the right nutrients, fallen leaves can help your lawn fight against weeds, preserve soil moisture, and cover up root systems.

Leaves End Up in Landfills

Leaves decompose, but it becomes a different story when leaves are tossed into plastic bags. Not only are you wasting valuable plant nutrients, but you’re contributing to climate change issues. Millions of tons of leaves get dumped into landfills each year – be cool and don’t contribute to this problem!

The Enviroment Depends on Fallen Leaves

Not racking your leaves can actually conserve nature. Here’s how. Everybody loves butterflies. But, what you may not know is that their caterpillar predecessors often depend on leave litter. During the cold Winter months, caterpillars hide in the leaf litter to stay warm. By racking up the leaves, you’re unknowingly reducing the number of butterflies that fly around your yard by Spring time.

If you rack your leaves, you are likely driving away birds that would have otherwise come scouting for food. In fact, the United States has lost over 3 billion birds since 1970 according to a study conducted back in 2019.