Have you ever tried mowing your leaves ?
- Thread starter Stephen J
- Start date
Ohighway
Wannabe Minimalist
I think that's the way to do it. For mine, when most of the leaves fall, I do a quick mow over them without the bagger first in order to chop them up. The I add the bagger and go back and cut/vacuum them up. Works much better and I'm not emptying the bagger as often as if I would without a pre-cut.
Still, sucking up every last leaf does the lawn no good. I noticed erosion accelerated when I tried doing that.
bhundu
Addicted Member
Now you're talking! A lot of the beautique farmers here are going "biodynamic"/"macrodynamic". I can't remember the exat phrase but it's basically about soil health. Critters are the key!
Bozzmonster
Sabrina Says 'Feed Me!'
Just got done mowing the leaves for the last time this year and ran the gas out of the lawn mower. Not one leaf bag was used this year, and the rake was used once… to rake leaves from the street onto the lawn where I mulched them. I’ve been doing this for years, and it works great. To be successful in this technique, you need to do it weekly so the mower can successfully chop up the leaves. I’ve never had a problem with the leaves choking off the growth of the grass. To the contrary, it seems to make it grow faster, which I guess is a little counterproductive when I am trying to keep the grass mowed! 
sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
Another vote for mowing the leaves.
Lots depends on what you mow them with. My big rider is a ZTR Husqvarna Bioclip. Thing doesn't have a discharge chute - three levels of cut, and all that comes out the back is teenie tiny chunks that disappear into the lawn over time. I don't bag grass either - if I skip a week and it gets long, I may see a fine green mist out the back is all. Nice machine.
Not to say I mulch them all right away. Most anywhere I've got large accumulations of leaves, I also have a garden bed with plants that need covering for the winter. I'll rake a bunch in there, then come the spring, rake what's left out, THEN mulch them into the lawn.
Nothing wrong with leaves - how many other dead things do you normally find in your yard that make you want to go play with them?
Lots depends on what you mow them with. My big rider is a ZTR Husqvarna Bioclip. Thing doesn't have a discharge chute - three levels of cut, and all that comes out the back is teenie tiny chunks that disappear into the lawn over time. I don't bag grass either - if I skip a week and it gets long, I may see a fine green mist out the back is all. Nice machine.
Not to say I mulch them all right away. Most anywhere I've got large accumulations of leaves, I also have a garden bed with plants that need covering for the winter. I'll rake a bunch in there, then come the spring, rake what's left out, THEN mulch them into the lawn.
Nothing wrong with leaves - how many other dead things do you normally find in your yard that make you want to go play with them?
Ba-da-bing!
I have way too many to bag, so I raked up a lot on the weekend and piled them on the garden before they blew away, as a winter mulch and to-be-composted in the spring. Then mowed over the residuals. Works pretty well!
PS There are no PCBs in newspaper ink. Production of PCBs was banned by the US Congress in 1979. We're dealing only with the residual stuff still found in the occasional power transformer, plus what is floating around in the soil, sediment and food chain.
I have way too many to bag, so I raked up a lot on the weekend and piled them on the garden before they blew away, as a winter mulch and to-be-composted in the spring. Then mowed over the residuals. Works pretty well!
PS There are no PCBs in newspaper ink. Production of PCBs was banned by the US Congress in 1979. We're dealing only with the residual stuff still found in the occasional power transformer, plus what is floating around in the soil, sediment and food chain.
That's good to hear. But it doesn't imply that whatever chemicals are used in making newspapers today are good to have in the food chain, especially when we are talking family.
NOt to hijack the thread but the short answer is most of the inks used today are soy-based and non-toxic. The black pigment itself is mostly harmless finely powdered carbon. After considerable research as both an environmental chemist AND a master composter, I'm not too concerned about it. The only thing I would do in terms of paper is to separate out the color printed ads and such because it's a little uncertain as to whether there are still heavy metals in some of the colored inks, which theoretically could build up in the soil (although it would take a long time even at that). There is not much concern at all about black and white newspaper or office paper.
For whatever does get through, be it inks or pesticide residues on banana peels, etc., the composting process can degrade and detoxify a lot of organic chemicals, and there is a dilution effect once the compost is added to garden soil. I would not put my used motor oil in, just on principle, but things like paper are just fine IMHO.
@toxcrusadr with respect...
I am neither an environmental chemist nor a composter. It is certainly good to hear that newspaper ink is being made from materials more human-friendly than was the case in the past.
My input here is coming only from a place of caution. And while I do not have your knowledge or qualifications, I am also someone who has noted that chemicals come and go. They usually "go" when, after years or decades, they have been "discovered" to have some adverse affect on the health of humans, animals or plant life.
You say that "...the composting process can degrade and detoxify a lot of organic chemicals...". Italics are my edit. Those words would not inspire me to feed veggies grown in a garden composted with newspaper to my kids.
You are most likely correct in your assessment. But there are always unknown variables. There is more to newspaper than just ink. What chemicals, organic or inorganic, might be used throughout the manufacturing process? And how might that process change tomorrow or next month?
My only point: if there is uncertainty, why not err on the side of caution? Not putting the newspaper into the compost would be a very easy thing to do...
@ the OP: I too apologize for thread-jacking. I promise not to follow-up any further
@ bentpencil :lmao:
I am neither an environmental chemist nor a composter. It is certainly good to hear that newspaper ink is being made from materials more human-friendly than was the case in the past.
My input here is coming only from a place of caution. And while I do not have your knowledge or qualifications, I am also someone who has noted that chemicals come and go. They usually "go" when, after years or decades, they have been "discovered" to have some adverse affect on the health of humans, animals or plant life.
You say that "...the composting process can degrade and detoxify a lot of organic chemicals...". Italics are my edit. Those words would not inspire me to feed veggies grown in a garden composted with newspaper to my kids.
You are most likely correct in your assessment. But there are always unknown variables. There is more to newspaper than just ink. What chemicals, organic or inorganic, might be used throughout the manufacturing process? And how might that process change tomorrow or next month?
My only point: if there is uncertainty, why not err on the side of caution? Not putting the newspaper into the compost would be a very easy thing to do...
@ the OP: I too apologize for thread-jacking. I promise not to follow-up any further
@ bentpencil :lmao:
TOO LOUD???
Well-Known Member
Did it yesterday raked up 5 of those big paper lawn debris bags fully packed, said screw it and mulched up the rest with the mulching mower went over it twice, you'd be hard pressed to find a piece as big as a dime. I always mow the back yard leaves, tried mulching and bagging with my riding mowers bagger attachment once. I could make one round of the yard and have to empty, I ended up with 19 55 gallon bags of mulched leaves each one weighing about 50-60 pounds nope not doing that again.
Billfort
Addicted Member
I've been mowing the leaves for a few years nows and dumping the catcher bag into recycle bags for curbside pick-up - works great.
I have a few maples on my lot and some years the cover can get pretty thick so the trick seems to be several passes a few days apart. As long as you dump the catch bag frequently, most of the leaves end up in the bags and the little that is left is finely diced and good mulch.
I have a few maples on my lot and some years the cover can get pretty thick so the trick seems to be several passes a few days apart. As long as you dump the catch bag frequently, most of the leaves end up in the bags and the little that is left is finely diced and good mulch.
damnyankee
New Member
When ya have a couple acres to mow there's no alternative aside from burning them like a lot of buttheads do here. Mulching blade on a riding mower, shred 'em. It's on my list to do this weekend.
roger2: That is certainly a valid way of looking at it, and I never try to convince people not to err on the side of caution when it comes to chemicals or any other environmental risk. Some day the system we use today to decide what is safe may be found to be a house of cards. I try to put in whatever science and facts that I have to offer, so the decisions people make are informed ones. The rest is up to them. So, no arguments here, and back to leaves!
usedto
Lunatic Member
To further thread hijack, there are hundreds of thousands of gallons of PCBs that are currently unaccounted for. The military mixed them in their gear oil, then sold the surplus on the open market. Lots of the old farm equipment rusting along side the roads have PCBs in their differentials and transmissions.
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That's a new one, I had not heard about it being used in that kind of lubricating oil. There were a lot of uses - everything from metal stamping lubricant for brass artillery shell casings to hydraulic oil for elevators and other equipment, caulking additive, you name it.
I once ran across an old heating oil tank at a school that had PCBs in the sludge from the bottom of the tank. Apparently someone dumped waste oil with PCB oil in it, and it was burned in the school's boiler. Nice.
"Relax folks, new Shimmer is both a floor wax AND a dessert topping!"
I once ran across an old heating oil tank at a school that had PCBs in the sludge from the bottom of the tank. Apparently someone dumped waste oil with PCB oil in it, and it was burned in the school's boiler. Nice.
"Relax folks, new Shimmer is both a floor wax AND a dessert topping!"
Yeah, well, the trouble with a PCB is it never Leaves!
