- edited to change subject line. My subconscious wrote "moving' instead of "mowing". ;)
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I really really hate raking. I did it last year and felt good about it afterward, but it was a pita. And after years of being able to find someone to do it for $$, the last couple of years we haven't been able to find someone who didn't want an arm and a leg to do it.

So after the discussion about rakes and mowing as an alternative, I'm thinking I might try that. Then again, considering how much I have to deal with in the front yard alone (pic below), I'm wondering if mowing will even be feasible. If it is, I'm thinking of getting a new blade for the mower (it needs one anyway). Do you think this one would do the trick?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2023 11:35AM by wurm.

Moving or mowing??????

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Asheville, NC Area

I’m mulching and seeding this year. We will see how it goes.

Quote
MartyStickle
Moving or mowing??????

Damn, you people are quick.

I’d throw down a tarp and do some quick raking.

After getting rid of a few tarp loads then mulch the rest.

if you have a local Vets sharpening service, you might be very surprised with the re-sharpened blade.
My spouse use to be hell bent on raking.
I prefer mow and compost in place.
But then we have a dinky plot easily mowed with our push mower.

Our neighbors all have dinky plots too.
But they all have lawn "services" to mow and blow into Dec.
Grass goes dormant ~ 50º, so they're just getting double yanked, especially at the local lawn "service" prices.
TETO.

There is some social network my buddy uses for his much bigger plot to find local kids that ain't gfn to help him leafing.
Neighborhood or NextDoor or the like.
He gets 'em for ~$15/hr. Way better than a lawn "service" price.

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"one door closes and another window opens"
Vlad the Impailer.

"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion."
Alexander the Great






Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2023 11:44AM by Fritz.

Quote
wurm

Quote
MartyStickle
Moving or mowing??????

Damn, you people are quick.

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Asheville, NC Area

Mow it your old blades so the leaves get mulched/butchered better. Save your new blades for a nice clean cut this coming spring.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I would use an old blade for mulching leaves. No reason to bugger up a new blade for something that's going to decompose. Not sure what mower you have but you can either bag it or use the mower in a circle to blow the leaves into one pile. Once in a pile, put the mower in mulch mode so that it doesn't discharge and go over the pile a few times to chop the leaves to bits.

Thanks for the replies.

Looking back over the years, I've paid $150, $225, $260, $320, and most recently $350. A couple of places gave me estimates of $400+, which is when I decided to do it myself.

We mulch-mow our lawn, meaning that the normal side discharge chute is shut. It’s time-consuming if you have a lot of leaves. You may have to cross mow is to effectively shred all of the leaves. However, I’ve been told it’s the healthiest way to treat your lawn and eliminate adding lawn chemicals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2023 12:11PM by Numo.

Do you raise the deck or leave it as normal for mulching?

Low is good.

We have a lot of big trees. Leave can be ankle deep when the magnolia lets 'er rip. We rake the heaviest accumulation then mulch mow the rest. We keep all raked leaves on site, either tossed into garden beds to be turned over next spring, or piled in an out of the way corner. (Never, ever take to the curb. There's a ton of energy and nutrients your trees have provided you. Why throw that away?)

In the OP, I see Maple? Those crumble pretty easily. I'd probably just mulch mow and forgo the rake. Oak is much more durable and takes multiple passes or raking.

Two words:

Lawn Sweep

[www.youtube.com]

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g=

Go Magnum...


[www.stihlusa.com]

wurm,

Yeah, that blade will work, but it seems you may have waited too long. I never wait to do them all at once, and I have a 60" zero-turn rider.

Suggestion: "mow" the leaves into rows, like hay. Then bag the rows. The more you mow them the fewer bags you will need, but you will have to start now or the mower will be overwhelmed.

Quote
wurm
- edited to change subject line. My subconscious wrote "moving' instead of "mowing". ;)
-----------

I really really hate raking. I did it last year and felt good about it afterward, but it was a pita. And after years of being able to find someone to do it for $$, the last couple of years we haven't been able to find someone who didn't want an arm and a leg to do it.

So after the discussion about rakes and mowing as an alternative, I'm thinking I might try that. Then again, considering how much I have to deal with in the front yard alone (pic below), I'm wondering if mowing will even be feasible. If it is, I'm thinking of getting a new blade for the mower (it needs one anyway). Do you think this one would do the trick?

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Ed (modelamac)

Trying to figure out some people is like trying to smell the number 9.

That lawn sweeper looks like the contraption we had when I was growing up. The idea was okay, but it didn't work all that well. Plus, as noted in the video, it filled up the bag pretty quickly. We weren't bright enough to figure out making bigger bags.

Yes, Acer, there's maple in there. Oak leaves blew over from the other side of the driveway and the edge of the yard. And I think the others are dogwood trees.

Interestingly, our weather reporter is also a horticulturalist and according to a recent story:

“You don't really have to clean up your leaves,” he said. “If you think about just nature, leaves fall. Nobody bags them up. They just stay in the woods and they get broken down.”

Sometimes those leaves can be beneficial, he said. They can protect plants from the harsh winter cold and snow, and provide a more welcoming home for critters.

But some leaves can damage the lawns they fall on, Epstein said.

“It depends on what kind of leaves are falling on the lawn,” he said. “If you have just oak leaves, they'll kind of rattle around. They have a lot of airiness to them. They're more crispy so they don't mat down the grass. But if you have like maple leaves especially, they can get matted down on the lawn and they can actually damage the grass.”

I'm pretty sure I mowed that amount of leaves with my Ego electric mower. Runtime was reduced but it did a perfectly fine job.

0.85 acre here. My lawn guys did the grass a few days ago. I paid them $45. They usually charge $250 for leaf cleaning. I did that for a few years. Last year and this year I decided to try to do it myself.

I spend 5 hours myself, 2 hours helped by the kids and 3 hours with the spouse. We did a pretty good job. I also spent $50 on new rakes. I wonder if I should have paid the pros and let them do it. The thing is, it's usually 2 sessions, the main one (250) and a lighter cleaning later after Thanksgiving for $100.

I should look into a battery-operated device to grind the leaves. I do not plan to mow my lawn myself.

So glad I don't have to deal with that. I have 1.6 acres and lots of trees. But "fall" in Florida is in, like, February. The leaves only fall because the new growth pushes the old leaves off. By then, the grass is starting to grow again, so I just mow the lawn and all the leaves get mulched.

Back when we had 7 oak trees in the front yard I bought a push air blower. The thing works great! Over the years I cut down a couple of trees that started leaning toward the house, then lightning hit one and so I cut 2 more down. Then 1 that was awfully close to the house and this summer I took down one because the septic system was backing up and the guy said roots were getting in the field. That leaves a single tree so the push blower seems overkill. I should sell it but the 15 min clean up is pretty great. Fortunately we have a couple of vacant lots across the road so it just all blows into the woods.

It was an earlier iteration of this that was just over $200 at the time: [www.homedepot.com]

Quote
gabester
Two words:

Lawn Sweep

[www.youtube.com]

that looks amazing! I don't have enough to justify the cost, but I will keep this in mind - perhaps folks will replace their leaf blowers with this! NAH.....

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And I recall in spring
The perfume that the air would bring
To the indolent town
Where the barkers call the moon down

Quote
mrbigstuff

Quote
gabester
Two words:

Lawn Sweep

[www.youtube.com]

that looks amazing! I don't have enough to justify the cost, but I will keep this in mind - perhaps folks will replace their leaf blowers with this! NAH.....

I had a bigger version of that that hooked onto the back of the riding mower.
You did have to empty it a fair amount, but I rigged up a way to empty it without getting off the mover.
Did I say I HATE raking.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Quote
freeradical
Go Magnum...


[www.stihlusa.com]

Nice but 25.8 lbs.!!!

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Grateful11

I’ve been mowing for years - picks up about 80% of the leaves. We rake the rest. Note mowing/ mulching works best if you lower the cutting height one or two notches.

Quote
Grateful11

Quote
freeradical
Go Magnum...


[www.stihlusa.com]

Nice but 25.8 lbs.!!!

Heh, after moving into our home, when meeting the neighbors they commented on how prolific the previous owner was with his leaf blower.

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I bought the Ryobi dual 40V battery version of the Stihl. Only about 10% has fallen so far. If it drys out for 36 hours, I herd the leaves into a long path and double mulch it with the mower. That reduces the volume by about 8 to 1. My big leaf oak produces too much for the lawn I have, so it goes in green waste recycling. Last year I had thirteen 55 gal bags of mulched leaves.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map