Raking. Bagging. Disposal. These are three tasks you need to do to remove fallen leaves from your property. While they may sound easy, these tasks are time-consuming chores, especially if you don't know how to dispose of the leaves properly. This is probably why most homeowners tend to ignore the piles of leaves that have accumulated over the fall.

However, ignoring these fallen leaves leads to several problems, including weak turf, lawn diseases, and pests inhabiting your lawn. While some experts argue that letting leaves stay on your turf can be beneficial, that's only true for small amounts. Keep reading to learn more about why you should not ignore leaf clutter on your property this fall.

Fallen leaves can smother your lawn and weaken it.

Fall leaves smothering a lawn in Clarksville, IN.

While the fall season excites you with its vibrant colors, this season is also an important time for your lawn. During fall, your turf is starting to prepare to enter winter dormancy by storing as much energy and nutrients as it can. However, fallen leaves can hamper this process. The weight of fallen leaves will smother your grass, blocking sunlight, water, and nutrients from entering the soil and reaching your grass roots.

When accumulated leaves prevent your turf from absorbing much-needed sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur. This is an essential plant process of making food, and preventing this from happening will weaken your grass.

Leaving a few leaves on your lawn is fine as they will eventually release essential nutrients. However, big leaf piles should be immediately removed.

Lawn Diseases Are More Likely to Happen When You Ignore Fallen Leaves

Snow mold on lawn grass in Jeffersonville, IN.

There's a love-hate relationship between moisture and your lawn. While sufficient moisture benefits your turf, too much of it can cause negative impacts. Fallen leaves trap moisture and prevent water on your lawn from evaporating. When you choose to ignore the accumulated leaves on your property, lawn diseases are more likely to occur. Here are some common lawn diseases you might encounter, or worse, you are already facing because fallen leaves trapped moisture:

  • Snow mold: Snow mold is a lawn disease caused when fallen leaves are not removed entirely from your lawn before winter.
  • Brown patch: This lawn disease, characterized by circular brown patches, is caused by a fungus that thrives in hot and humid conditions.
  • Fairy ring: If you notice brown or dark green circles on your lawn, that's probably the fairy ring disease.

It's best practice to get rid of leaves when they are still dry in the fall. When you wait to remove them, they become wet, soggy, and almost matted, making their removal more difficult.

Pests Like Mosquitoes, Voles, & Mice Love Wet Leaves

Mosquito on a fall leaf near Louisville, KY.

Fallen leaves are a paradise to pests. Aside from fungi and molds, the leaf clutter provides an ideal breeding ground for pests. The underside of wet leaves can quickly collect water and become stagnant, the perfect place for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Meanwhile, animals like voles love almost all kinds of vegetation on your property, especially wet leaves. You'll also find professional gnawers like mice hiding beneath piles of leaves that provide them with nesting places and food sources.

Smaller insects like earwigs and ants are also common. While these insects are not poisonous or toxic, don't get too comfortable. If you leave that pile of leaves longer, it's more than likely that snakes might reside in your yard. We don't need to say how dangerous your property will be with these venomous and dangerous animals.

Voles are problematic animals since they continue to ruin your lawn in the winter, creating damaging tunnels across your yard.

Call us today to schedule our leaf removal services!

Our team at Lawn Works recognizes the tough job of removing all accumulated leaves on your lawn, especially when you don't have much time to rake them up, bag them, and then figure out what to do next. We got you! Our pros offer a leaf removal service that involves collecting the leaves in one area so our vacuum trucks can suck them up. This way, you don't have to go through the tedious process of getting rid of fallen leaves. Our leaf removal service is available to properties in Louisville, KY, and New Albany, Sellersburg, and surrounding areas in IN. Call us today at (812) 590-8864 to schedule our service!