I would have thought this the most logical thing to do. Feed the raked leaves into a mulcher. The shredded product will be a lot easier to bag or to spread. Come to think of it garden tool manufafturers should invent either a lawn mower attachment effective for sucking up and shredding the leaves then throw them into a bag via a chute. Or otherwise make a dedicated machine for this. It will be a welcome companion to the leaf blower.
I haven't studied it closely, but my new Honda mower's instruction book has a chart of different blades you can install if your work tends more toward one purpose than another, or if you want to make seasonal blade changes.
And...cripes....the
The wife runs a small plant nursery here part time, and so several of our neighbors and even the city public works dept are delighted to drop off leaves and clippings for us.
Do you remove, sharpen, and balance your mower blade each year?
Course, it started to rain today bout 3 PM, so the leaves are pretty well stuck down. I was taking a friend of mine to the hospital,a nd it started to rain about the time I was there.
Doug:
DK> Rochester NY: We're being buried in leaves. My son and I raked up 40+ bags DK> of leaves in about 2 hours this past Sunday. We seem to be alone in the use DK> of that prehistoric tool, the rake. I'm surrounded by neighbors in their DK> early 30s to mid 40s, in good shape, all of whom use leaf blowers and take DK> all day to gather the same amount of leaves. And...cripes....the noise! Wan
DK> an investment tip? Hearing aids - the Next Big Thing for an entire DK> generation.
Blowing leaves is generally easier than raking but yes, the noise!! Maybe your neighbours like to see the leaves blown back into the air as they attempt to corral them.
DK>
(Not totally pointless IMO!)
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
Gee, I did not think the Amish used computers., Why are using one? Anyway, aren't the good old excercise-producing semaphore flags good enough for sending messages anymore? Gary Dyrkacz snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net Radio Control Aircraft/Paintball Physics/Paintball for 40+
The mower's 3 weeks old. Haven't needed to sharpen them yet.
I was born in '45, but the snowblower certainly ranks high on my list of "needed" toys.
Still use a rake though.
According to PaPaPeng :
They do. Cub Cadet, for example, makes a gas powered wheeled vacuum unit that sucks up leaves, shreds and then bags 'em. A mere $1300CDN.
Rented one once. Real nice. Big trick is to make sure that the leaves are _dry_.
Came very close to buying one. I'd continue to rent, but they're relatively rare in rentals, and it's a PITA getting it in and out of the trailer.
Can you explain this? I don't understand what yer gettin' at.
I don't rake my leaves...and I don't have dirt in the Spring.
Nor do I see a lot of 'just dirt' in the forests.
Have a nice one...
Trent
Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!
You must have funny trees. They dump 5" of leaves at a time.!
Where I live, the leaves sail gently to the ground...then the next one...then the next one. lol
Have a nice one...
Trent
Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!
In the forests, you see progressive layers of composted leaves, which is why, is some places, you'll sink up to your ankles when you step in it. It's great stuff. But, grass won't grow there to any great extent.
Yer correct. Most forests have an accumulation of generations of leaves.
The best way to protect your lawn is to leave the leaves as they fall...for protection against a harsh, cold Winter...then mow/mulch them in the Spring.
Have a nice one...
Trent
Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!
Blowing leaves into bags is kinda like shoveling proverbial s**t against the tide. It's all a matter of efficient use of tools, anyhow. Rakes are much better than blowers at getting sticks and such. Blowers are much better at quick passes over areas to keep leaves from accumulating to the point where they're likely to become a matted blanket from a shower or ground moisture. Not to mention that they can be much gentler on the grass.
IOW, the "correct" answer is "all of the above" at the opportune time. And, for me, to compost them all in one part of my front lawn each year- in hopes of being able to amend the crappy rocky subsoil that nature left there.
John
You must have funny trees, if they don't. :-)
I walked out into my yard this morning, and my feet sank in to just over the top of my foot. And this is just 5 days after having raked up tons in the same area, mind you.
Where I live, they all generally come down in a couple of brief, but intense sessions. High winds last weekend, and rain today.
And yet there's still a couple of huge silver maples that haven't dropped any, yet.... sigh.
- Rich
Then you either don't have a lot of leaves fall, or are blessed with winds that blow them all away. I had one area in my lawn last weekend where I waded in up to my shins. I guarantee there won't be any grass under there in the Spring if I let it alone.
Uh, walked in any forests recently? The vast majority of what you're walking on is decomposed leaves. Depending on where you live, there may be lots of ferns, etc, but I can pretty much guarantee that you're not going to find any significant grasses underfoot.
- Rich
Why would you think that?
Have a nice one...
Trent
Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!
Let's put it this way: If you allow enough leaves to mat down, it's a great way to start a new garden area.
Those lucky leaves, I wish I were a leaf so I could get blown.
I was in Brighton the other day, and saw a man with a leaf rake. I was so tempted to call 911.
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