There Are Some Good Reasons Not To Rake Your Leaves This Fall

When the leaves change color and fall to the ground, it's usually time for homeowners to start thinking about raking the lawn. You've probably always been told that you have to quickly remove all those leaves before the snow comes, or you may have heard about folks mulching the leaves in their yard. It might be better to let the leaves be, however, as there are some serious benefits to leaving them alone. 

The simplest of these benefits is that it saves time out of your busy life, because you don't have to spend an hour or more raking. Aside from that, you'll have less waste to deal with. If you're raking your leaves up and bagging them for the trash or special lawn pickup days, you're not only wasting time that could be spent on something else, but you're also contributing to landfill waste. Leaves are natural, and they will decompose about six months after they fall. And while this may seem like a long time, it also means they can offer other benefits to your yard over the winter months. 

During the fall, leaves on the ground offer a safe habitat for many bugs, many of which are beneficial and in need of protection. As such, you may want to think twice before killing any of these insects by raking or mowing them up. Beetles, walking sticks, and even some pollinators will find safety under leaves, which provide the warmth they need to make it through the winter. Many moths and butterflies will also spend winter in your leaf litter during their pupa stage. If you mulch the lawn, you could end up killing these bugs. If you rake it, even if they're not thrown into the trash, you may keep them from staying insulated enough to make it through the cold weather.

The fallen leaves in your yard also add nutrients to the soil as they decompose. First of all, rotting leaves are rich in nitrogen, making them an excellent fertilizer for your lawn. And, mulched or not, those leaves are also helping keep weeds at bay — so don't rake them up if you want another way to banish leaves from your lawn. Your decomposing leaves also feed critters like earthworms, helping to build a healthy ecosystem in your yard.