Leaf Time

[Velma]

Did the big annual leaf cleanup today after this weeks windstorm in mid-MI. I have been mulching leaves for the last several years. Not sure I can really tell much of difference with turf 'health'... but it's not hurting either...and sure is easier than racking/bagging.

The finish mower with LP mulching blades (gator 'esque) ... has good blade speed & shreds them well. I do need to go over the deepest piles a couple/three times...it's only a few times a year, and only costs more tractor seat time (and a little diesel).

I may be in the minority ... I do enjoy leaf cleanup...similar to moving snow...it's easy to see your progress and provides a quick sense of accomplishment.

 

[RMS]

I did the same thing yesterday except I used my zero turn on them. After that I put it away for the winter.

 

[ItBmine]

I'm also with you. I have a lawn tractor I use for trimming and it has a mulching deck with Oregon gator blades, so I just mulch all the leaves.

 

[DaveFromMi]

I use a Redmax blower to move the leaves to the edges of the yard and use the bush hog on them to make sure they don't come back

 

[John D 2]

Our fall has been dry and warm, so the leaves are still on the trees.

As soon as we have some good rain (hopefully this week) and a good cold spell, the leaves should drop, and I will mulch them up.

 

[Velma]

I use a Redmax blower to move the leaves to the edges of the yard and use the bush hog on them to make sure they don't come back
View attachment 141159

nice looking & leaf free property!

 

[chim]

In the many years we've been here leaves have been handled by repeated mowings, a 3-point blower, blocking the discharge on the RFM and using a side discharge RFM to mulch/blow. This year it was time to try a backpack blower. My BIL offered the use of his Echo for a test drive. The next day a Stihl BR800X Magnum rode along home from Messicks.

So far it's been pressed into service to get rid of the leaf litter and small pieces from an oak tree removal and leaves that have fallen. Love it. If I didn't weigh so much I might have to throttle it down to turn left

 

[Velma]

In the many years we've been here leaves have been handled by repeated mowings, a 3-point blower, blocking the discharge on the RFM and using a side discharge RFM to mulch/blow. This year it was time to try a backpack blower. My BIL offered the use of his Echo for a test drive. The next day a Stihl BR800X Magnum rode along home from Messicks.

So far it's been pressed into service to get rid of the leaf litter and small pieces from an oak tree removal and leaves that have fallen. Love it. If I didn't weigh so much I might have to throttle it down to turn left

my father has a stihl backpack blower...they are impressive

 

[RCW]

I have quite a few trees that drop leaves late. Invariably some get taken care of in the spring.

Mulched most of the sugar maple leaves a couple weeks ago.

Neighbors Red Oak leaves always end up behind the house per a north wind. Nothing they have any control over.

 

[DustyRusty]

I am of the camp that believes that G-d put them there for a purpose, and when the time to take them away he will take care of that too. I used to either rake or mulch the leaves, but that was when I was much younger. When I lived in the city I had a large tree that was on my side of the fence that would always drop leaves in my neighbor's yard. They put chicken wire on their side of the fence (my fence) and then they would rake up the leaves and dump them back on my side of the fence. They always sat under the tree in the warm months however, the wife was difficult to get along with. I had a friend come over one day when they weren't home, and he used his tree to tension the tree to fall into my yard and cut it down. That stopped the leaf problem for both of us. Needless to say, it didn't go over very well with her.

 

[Chapel Hill Vann]

We live on 5 acres that is mostly wooded. For many years, I used an electric "toy" leaf blower with multiple cords snaking everywhere all around the house and shop areas.. My wife bought me a Stihl backpack blower and what a difference!! What used to take almost a full day now takes about 1.5 hours!! I have learned that if I do it twice-once when about 1/2 of the leaves are down and then again after all leaves are down, it is much easier than doing it once after all leaves are down.
Love my Stihl backpack blower.
Vann

 

[biketopia]

our 5 acres is mostly old pasture so not a lot of trees. The few that drop leaves are around the house. I typically blow them up into a long low pile in the gravel driveway and burn em. The ones around the house I throw mulching blades and a chute blocker on the zero turn and hit em a handful of times and were good to go. It's been terribly dry this month so all the leaves are likely to be mulched this fall.

 

[dirtydeed]

Got mine done yesterday as well. This year, I got some help from my wife. I put her on the main ZT and asked her to mulch them while I used the little ZT with the bagger. Much to my surprise, she mulched them up so fine (maybe because its been so dry) that I didn't have much to pick up.

There will be one more cleanup round when the Oaks decide to drop what they are holding on to.

Last one with a bit of Orange in the pic...