With the temperature dropping outside, you may see the leaves falling from the trees. You may even see kids jumping into colorful piles, having a blast. At one time, you were probably one of those children. Now, when you see the leaves start to fall from the sky, you immediately get frustrated, knowing you are going to spend a lot of time breaking them up.
Your job will only be more difficult if you have a large yard. So, what is the best way to clean up leaves in a large yard? Take a look at several tips below, and make your life easier!
Use a Large Mower: Avoid Raking Your Leaves at All
You are probably used to cleaning up leaves in your yard using a break. There is a good chance your neighbors are doing the same thing! Even though this might be a force of habit, this is not the best way to eliminate leaves in the yard. This will take far too much time with a lot of stress on your back and leave you with many leaves even when you are done for the day.
Therefore, don't clean up the leaves with a rake! Instead, grab a large mower. If you have a mower with multiple settings, turn it to the highest option. Then, turn all the leaves in your yard into a giant mulch pile. In addition to saving you the trouble of writing up your leaves, it will also create a natural fertilizer for your yard.
Mulch Blades and Mulch Kit
It will be very important that you get a mulch kit and a quality pair of mulch blades. The mulch kit you need will depend on the mower you have. You can contact your local mower dealer or do a quick Google search to find the correct kit.
When it comes to mulch blades, you will want to go with a reputable brand. Since you will be mulching leaves, the blades will be more prone to becoming dull and wearing out quicker than usual.
Ballard Equipment has a new hybrid “Gold” mower blade. They are a mix between mulching and high lift blades. These blades are perfect for all year use. You can mow your grass with them throughout the spring/summer and mulch your leaves in the fall. Win-win!
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What if I have too many leaves?
If you still have leaves left over, even when you pass over them using your lawnmower, you must go back over your yard again. You don't have to worry about cutting your grass too short because the blades on your lawnmower are probably set to a certain height. All you will do is mulch the leaves you missed last time! Even though this takes a bit of persistence, this is a simple way to eliminate leaves in a large yard!
Your Lawn Mower Can Help You Bag Your Leaves as Well!
If you don't want to leave leaves in your yard as fertilizer, you can always put them in a bag. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a large lawnmower! For example, your lawn mower may have an attachment for a bag on the back. That way, when you go over to the leaves using a lawnmower, the leaves end up in the bag on the back of your mower! This saves you the trouble of having to rake up the leaves.
If your lawnmower does not have a bag attachment or does not work as well as you thought, you can also use a large tarp. In this situation, what you have to do is take all of your leaves, put them on the tarp, and then drop the tarp to the curb. You don't have to worry about putting all your leaves in a bag!
On the other hand, you may have an HOA that does not allow you to do this. If so, you can use your tarp as a funnel. You don't have to worry about putting all of your leaves in the bag manually. You can take the tarp, turn it into a funnel, and slide all the leaves into the bag. This is an efficient way to clean up your leaves.
Use a Commercial Backpack Blower
You may also need to invest in a solid commercial backpack blower. This will help remove leaves from flower beds, sidewalks, etc., so you can mulch them with your lawn mower.
Another alternative, if you don't have a mower or a large enough mower to mulch leaves, may blow the leaves in a pile and use a high-quality tarp to move the leaves.
How Do You Choose a Rake for Your Yard?
If you don't have a lot of options available, you might be stuck using a rake to clean up your leaves. If that is the case, this is not the world's end. On the other hand, you need to ensure you have the right break for their yard.
The most important thing to remember is that you do not want to hurt your back while cleaning up the leaves. If you have to bend over to generate enough force to collect the leaves consistently, you will injure the muscles in your back. You might wake up having difficulty getting out of bed the next morning!
When you are looking for a break, make sure it is long enough to rake the leaves comfortably without bending over. Then, make sure you find a rake that has an ergonomic handle. You should be able to spread your hands out comfortably, reducing the strain on your arms. When you spread out your hands, you still should be able to generate enough force to remove the leaves from your yard.
You should also look at the tines, the small prongs on the end of the rake. Ideally, the spread should be 24 to 30 inches, allowing you to move a lot of leaves at the same time. The times also should not get clogged when you use them. This means that they should move the leave without spearing them. If the tines get clogged, raking will take a lot longer.
How Do You Protect Your Hands While Raking Leaves?
You must make sure you protect your hands by raking leaves. Even though this is not necessarily a dangerous job, it will put a lot of stress on your hands. Therefore, you should use a firm pair of gardening gloves that will prevent you from developing blisters. Ideally, you should use gloves with a strong grip so the rake will not slip in your hands as you try to rake up the leaves.
What if you have allergies?
If you have seasonal allergies, you also need eye and respiratory protection. Consider wearing a mask so that you do not stop coughing and sneezing when you kick up dust and pollen. This is also important if you suffer from asthma.
Should You Burn Leaves To Clean Them Up?
You should never set leave not fire to clean them up. First, this could be illegal in your area. You don't want to get a visit from the police. Second, even a gentle wind can easily spread the flames to other locations. Therefore, you could end up setting other areas on fire. Finally, burning leaves also generates a ton of pollution. It can irritate your eye, harm the area's foliage, and harm animals who might live nearby. Never burn leaves to clean them up.
Find the Best Way To Clean Up Leaves in Large Yard
If you are looking for the best way to clean up leaves in a large yard, using a large lawn mower is the best way to do so. Turn the blades up to the highest setting, and turn the leaves into mulch for your yard. If you don't have this option, you may want to use a tarp instead. Finally, always protect yourself when cleaning up leaves, and never burn them.
What do you think?
What is your favorite way to clean up leaves in a large yard? Leave a comment below!
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