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tobiasrfunke t1_ixjl1az wrote

Reply to comment by Unique-Public-8594 in I swear the leaves wait until I'm done. by graemeknows

You can't just leave them, at least not in Massachusetts. They need to be mulched, or they won't break down. And mulching is still work.

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SnacksCCM t1_ixm01o3 wrote

Precisely this. Your grass would be dead (little to no sunlight/"suffocated") and you'd (likely) have weeds & tree sprouts everywhere if you just left deciduous leaves as they fell. The best thing to do (IMO) is:

(1) Yes, not obsess over them (even if you do a perfect job, it's windy all winter and leftovers or your neighbor's leaves will eventually blow through - make peace with a few leaves out there, the place still looks great.)

(2) Do a decent job mulching most of them, it reduces erosion, feeds the grass, and avoids blocking the sunlight. Oh, and it's usually easier to do than raking/moving/collecting them all.

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