Mulching in the Winter

Discussion in 'Lawn Care' started by lawnmowerwizard, Dec 7, 2014.

  1. lawnmowerwizard

    lawnmowerwizard New Seed

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    I see a lot of posts about mulching, rather than raking up fallen leaves around this time of year (snow fall permitting) as the final mowing chore before putting the mower away for Winter, a kind of killing two birds with one stone activity. What are people's thoughts on this? Is it a useful way of composting the lawn, or does it just leave the place looking a complete mess?
     
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  3. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    When we lived up north, we mulched the leaves and caught them in the mower's bag. Then we made deep mulch around the base of plants. Not only did the deep mulch help prevent frost heave, it broke down and added enrichment to the soil.
    Here in the south we still catch leaves in the mower bag, but they go into the chicken coop as deep litter. Of course, the leaves do make it to the garden eventually, but in a different "form" (chicken manure).
     
  4. lawnmowerwizard

    lawnmowerwizard New Seed

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    That makes more sense, mulching and catching it and using it in a more controlled way, rather than just spewing it out all over the place!
     
  5. Donna S

    Donna S Hardy Maple

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    I mulch leaves several time before putting the leaf catcher on my mower. They seem to rot down quicker and not blow around in my gardens. The beds look neat and tidy also with fine chopped mulched leaves.
     



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  6. Brisbane Trees

    Brisbane Trees Seedling

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    It depends on the mower, too. Using a mulching plug makes a big difference in that it leaves a spray of leaf particles on the lawn instead of just leaves torn up a bit.
     
  7. Tooty2shoes

    Tooty2shoes Hardy Maple

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    We bought a WorkX leaf blower/mulcher. It sucks up the leaves shreds them pretty fine and puts them in a bag attached to the blower. We apply the mulch in the fall before winter working some into the soil and covering the rest of the veggie bed with it. It also mulches small twigs and branches. We also us our gas lawn mower that has a mulching attachment for the bigger areas of our yard. Makes wonderful mulch also.
     
  8. SueanneFl.

    SueanneFl. New Seed

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    Was thinking of using leaves mixed with grass clippings to use as mulch in my garden this spring to keep down the weeds. My neighbor always has bags that he throws out every week that I think would enrich my garden beds. His lawn mower does good job mulching everything up. Will ask him tomorrow to save them for me. Think it will be better than wood chips!
     
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  9. Lils

    Lils New Seed

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    I second having a good mower to do the job. Otherwise you're better of raking them. I've seen cases where a poor mulch started to kill the lawn in spots. The mover needs to not only mulch well, but also disperse it well
     
  10. SueanneFl.

    SueanneFl. New Seed

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    The leaf mulch worked great under my fig trees. Had a blackberry bush there too that wouldn't bloom one week after using the leaf mulch it has flowers already. Guess the worms are doing there job.
     
  11. Brisbane Trees

    Brisbane Trees Seedling

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    Just make sure the mulch isn't right against the tree. Mulch is great for trees, providing the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur which trees need; moderating temperatures; providing food for microorganisms and, especially, macro-organisms; and reducing evaporation of water from the soil.

    However, mulch hard up against the trunks of trees causes rot which creates an environment favorable for organisms to enter the tree, besides the damage caused by the rot itself. I suggest leaving a foot between mulch and the base of trees.
     
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