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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Raking fallen leaves could make it harder for wildlife to live and grow.
While many people rake their leaves from their lawns to prevent fungal diseases from taking over their grass, fallen leaves can strengthen soil health and help the grass grow. According to the National Wildlife Federation, many forms of wildlife depend on the layer of fallen leaves for food, cover and a place for them to raise offspring. The NWF calls October "Leave the Leaves Month," and urges people to adopt wildlife-friendly gardening practices. They recommend still raking your leaves from sidewalks, driveways and turfgrass lawns while using them as natural mulch for garden beds and natural grass.
Some Plymouth residents like Enrique enjoy raking and use it to stay active. "I do like it, it's exercise, you know? It keeps you in shape," Enrique said. He prefers to have the habit of raking weekly and "let the grass breathe."
Some other Plymouth residents have decided not to rake the fallen leaves away like Leslie and her husband Thomas. "We're [usually] out here from the middle of October until the first week of December," Leslie said. They said they are doing something different this year with their fallen leaves. "We just bought a new electric lawn mower, and it has a mulching blade on it, we intend to use it," Thomas said. A mulching blade breaks up the leaves, making them into nutrients for the grass and soil.
Composting raked leaves and spreading them over the grass or in garden beds is also a great way to give the soil more nutrients and prevent the waste that raked leaves create. Reducing the number of leaves thrown away with garbage helps reduce landfill waste. According to the NWF, Americans disposed of over 35 million tons of yard waste in just one year, creating a large amount of unnecessary landfill waste.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.