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Left Leaves on Lawn in Fall

Posted by SonofaWhatThe CO (My Page) on
Fri, Mar 16, 12 at 22:10

Yes... I'm an idiot... I *thought* as long as I got them off the ground before spring it wouldn't matter. We had a heavy snow followed by a very long cold period where the snow didn't melt (not typical for Denver)... I just went out to rake them and found the ground at the bottom of the pile almost "shellacked" with leaves that were decomposing. I've picked up the leaves now.. but there is still some "stuck" leaf material on the top of the grass (that was dormant when it was covered).

Is all that grass dead from "suffocation" over the winter? If not.. what do I do next to rescue the situation (if anything)?

We are just now starting to see some faint green in shaded areas return here in our zone.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Left Leaves on Lawn in Fall

Your lawn is a living thing just like you. It needs oxygen to live like us.

No need to remove the leafs, just rake them loose and get your mower started (without the bag or using the side discharge) and mulch them (slow - not 100MPH) into the lawn. Nature will continue to decompose the leafs as things warm up further, adding organic matter into your soil.


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RE: Left Leaves on Lawn in Fall

So it's not about "pre emergence" so much as "All Winter"? Even though the grass was dormant I killed it by leaving it covered?


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RE: Left Leaves on Lawn in Fall

Mowers are really good at pulverizing leaves. Sometimes there are conditions which are not conducive to mulch mowing but not in your area and not in your situation.

What kind of grass do you have? If it is fescue, then you'll need to reseed any that really is dead. If it is Kentucky bluegrass, it might return by itself.


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