Mulching leaves can kill your new grass

In the past I've told you all you need to do is mulch them into your grass - but not this year!

Generally this time of the year I tell people to put your rake aside and just mulch your leaves into the lawn because it provides great fertilizer to your grass and soil. Because of the drought, many of us have either spot-seeded or re-seeded their entire lawn. Even the smallest amount of leaf mulch can cover up new grass and kill it out quickly. Either mow and bag all those leaves or blow and vacuum them.

If you have to rake, be very careful about not pulling up new grass. The roots aren't very deep yet, so you're better off mowing or blowing them. You may also be noticing a lot of new weeds popping up with that grass. You can either pull them by hand or leave them be; putting any kind of weed killer on young grass can kill it out. You're better off waiting until early next spring and just catching up then.

Remember, leaves covering up your grass for just a few days can kill out new grass. Those leaves block the sunlight and keep the grass from growing. If you haven't seeded this fall,it's fine to mulch leaves into established lawns and it makes great fertilizer.

A couple of weeks ago we showed you a residential dumpster rental tip. If you have a ton of leaves to dispose of, this might be a good time to get a couple of friends or neighbors together to share the cost and toss all those leaves, plus amy garage cleaning or waste. You can rent a dumpster for around $275.00 a week. Sharing that cost is a lot more economical than curbside recycling.

See you next week.