# Will you rake/mulch your freaking leaves already?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 21, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781 "2019-11-21T16:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/41 "2019-12-30T16:57:40Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > What’s the basis for saying this? > > _“Mulching oak leaves is fine — it doesn’t make the soil acidic. And even if it does, so what? Soil in many home landscapes tends to be alkaline, so a little acidity doesn’t hurt. But an MSU study determined that mulched oak leaves, once broken down, are pH neutral. The only drawback is that oak leaves take longer to break down than maples, aspens, and many other leaves. By mid-May, even an inch layer oak leaves will have disappeared into the soil.”_ > > [Mulched leaves offer food, protection for lawns in fall - mlive.com](http://mlive.com/homeandgarden/2012/10/mulched_leaves_offer_food_prot.html) > > I also value leaves (chopped or not) as mulch for front yard perennial and shrub beds. Board ate my post … Experience is what makes me say it. With large mature oaks the pile of leaves will exceed an inch. My largest oak is 50’ to 60’ tall and reaches toward a red maple. Together they leave a vast blanket of leaves. The oak is probably nearly 60 years old. When I have tried to leave the leaves, I lose the grass. Same happened at my old place where the house was surrounded by large oaks. Though there the sandy soil didn’t help I’m sure. No one, including professionals, should start before 9am, that’s just rude. But on the other hand, for years I swear my one neighbor waited until I was out on my patio after work to drink a beer and grill. He would materialize and start a mower, wacker or blower. So it would have been for me if he did do early morning. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/42 "2019-12-30T17:18:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > “…By mid-May, even an inch layer oak leaves will have disappeared into the soil.” That’s so funny, the quoted material acts like a inch of leaves is a lot. Oooooh, a inch of leaves! If I didn’t do something with mine I would have 10 inches at least. But they do certainly rot away in the woods. I blew my leaves into the edge of the woods next door for 30 years and I can’t see any buildup of soil/leaf litter in that area. For the past three years I have been using my trailer mounted, riding mower towed, 6 HP lawn shredder/vacuum. I dump the mulched leaves in the woods off the back corner of the yard. When I am done each year that pile of very dense material, hundreds of pounds, is 15 inches deep after I rake it around a bit to level it. If it was not shredded it would be 10 feet high. By the next fall it is nearly subsided. In three years I have raised that area of the woods about 2 inches I guess. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/43 "2019-12-30T17:20:57Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I thought by now society would have invented a small portable leaf vacuum that I could just use to suck up the leaves right into a bag. Society has. Many blowers can double as a vacuum. > **[The 5 Best Leaf Vacuums for Any Yard](https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a28448736/top-leaf-vacuums/?src=arb_fb_ga_d_bmm_na&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_fb_ga_d_bmm_na&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzb-U9_Dd5gIVsh-tBh09twiEEAAYASAAEgI0OfD_BwE)** > > Use one of these top leaf vacuums to collect leaves without creating a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/44 "2019-12-30T17:21:49Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Experience is what makes me say it. With large mature oaks the pile of leaves will exceed an inch. My largest oak is 50’ to 60’ tall and reaches toward a red maple. Together they leave a vast blanket of leaves. I’m not seeing how a deep blanket of oak leaves would differ from a deep blanket of any other kind of leaf, which also would not be good for a lawn. What I was referring to was using a mulching mower to chop up leaves so they don’t densely cover grass, and decompose much faster than intact leaves. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/45 "2019-12-30T17:27:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Society has. Many blowers can double as a vacuum. > > [https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a28448736/top-leaf-vacuums/?src=arb\_fb\_ga\_d\_bmm\_na&utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=cpc&utm\_campaign=arb\_fb\_ga\_d\_bmm\_na&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzb-U9\_Dd5gIVsh-tBh09twiEEAAYASAAEgI0OfD\_BwE](https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/a28448736/top-leaf-vacuums/?src=arb_fb_ga_d_bmm_na&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_fb_ga_d_bmm_na&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzb-U9_Dd5gIVsh-tBh09twiEEAAYASAAEgI0OfD_BwE) Thanks for that link. I looked a while over the weekend, but most seemed like “Here is a great leaf blower! Oh yeah, I guess you could vacuum up leaves with it too” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/46 "2019-12-30T17:38:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’m not seeing how a deep blanket of oak leaves would differ from a deep blanket of any other kind of leaf, which also would not be good for a lawn. > > What I was referring to was using a mulching mower to chop up leaves so they don’t densely cover grass, and decompose much faster than intact leaves. I do mulch, the leaf cover remains deep in some areas. This is why I also at least sweep. For my grass cutting I mulch and maybe once a year I’ll sweep if I start seeing a heavy build up. My lawn is at most 50% grass the rest is weeds and clover. In 18 years I have seeded the lawn once and limed it once. Since then deer poop provided by clover eating deer and mulch has kept my lawn looking green. But if I leave the leaves, I need to clean them up in the spring anyway and seed those bare patches. I think you’re just dealing with different variables than I am. Leaves, shade, soil, climate would clearly make a big difference. Oak leaves break down slowly even when mulched. I speak from 26 years of experience now with mulching mowers and oak leaves. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781/47 "2019-12-30T23:23:46Z")
My maple and magnolia leaves are all raked and incinerated. But the neighbor’s leaves? sheeesh. On windy days (very common here), my garage is like a vortex for loose leaves. Even open for minutes at a time, for the car to enter and exit, means that I have dozens of leaves on my garage floor. BTW, why didn’t anyone tell me about Magnolia Trees and the constant leaf litter they release on humanity, not to mention their seeds which resemble dwarf pineapples. My brain says cut the damn thing down, but my heart won’t let me. It is a beautiful tree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-you-rake-mulch-your-freaking-leaves-already/843781.md?page=2)