BLACKSBURG, Va. – While the beautiful fall foliage is upon us in Southwest Virginia, it won’t be long until the leaves start falling and people will begin raking and bagging them up.
But before you get out the trash bags, experts at Virginia Tech want you to rethink the way you get rid of leaves.
They recommend mulching your leaves.
Mulching can be done by simply running the leaves over with a typical lawn mower or a mulching mower.
There are several benefits not only saving you time and keeping unnecessary items like bagged leaves out of landfills, but also, mulching acts as a natural fertilizer for your grass.
“We increase organic matter in the soil with feeding microbes in the soil that are going to degrade this and this soil breaks down it is going to develop a better root development of your turf grass system,” said Virginia Tech’s Extension Turf Grad Specialist, Mike Goatley.
Goatley recommends mulching leaves when they are a bit damp because they are easier to shred.