Leaves, they are a Changin

 Fall is in the air. Football season is underway, cider mills are as busy as can be, and the fall foliage is a beautiful sight that shouldn't be missed. Hoards of people travel north to find that picturesque landscape that you can only spot for a couple weeks out of the year. From thousands of miles of great scenic views from the road, there's also tours on the water and by rail. Now that the colors have faded the work has just began. It's time to grab those yard tools from your Motor City Garage and put them to work; but first I'd like to give you some helpful tips with a small budget in mind. I'd like to highlight some tips that are not always obvious. Before I start, I'd like to confirm the statement that leaves will become fertilizer if left alone. Fertilizer is great for lawns, but it isn't if the leaves kill your lawn in the process. A few leaves here and there won't hurt, but when leaves are covering most of your grass it's not going to get the light it needs to make the recovery in the spring. 

 As long as you have a lawn mower you will be able to mulch. There's three main ways to go about it. You can bag, use a side discharge, or mulch. Most mowers can do all of them, if not usually one or two ways. Bagging is most effective when the leaves are dry and you have a place to easily get rid of them. By attaching the side discharge as you cut the chopped up leaves it will be expelled out the side so that when you make another pass it can be mulched even further. The last method would be mulching with the side discharge closed. It's similar to cutting with the side discharge, but instead you'll want to make another pass perpendicular to your first lines. Mulching is the most efficient and the best way to give your lawn fertilizer. When you're done mulching just make sure your grass still isn't fully covered.

 Use the weather to determine when and how you should rake the leaves. A windy wet day will be a miserable day. Try and watch the weather to pick a day in which it is dry and calm. The dryer the leaves the easier it will be. They're lighter making the raking quicker and the bags more manageable. If you can't seem to get a calm day use the wind to your advantage by raking downwind. 

 Don't bother raking every leaf when you know more are going to fall. Spend your time wisely on the high traffic areas until the trees are bare. You'll end up spending more way time working on the lawn when the quantity isn't there. When it is time to pick the leaves up sort them into small piles rather than larger ones. This way you're not using too much energy pushing them all around the lawn. Using a tarp makes this even easier. Blow or rake the leaves onto a small tarp then drag it to the main pile.

 The best way to save your back is to clean the yard in multiple days so you're not on overload on the last good day. Using tools that give you a better posture and are designed for the task, won't use unnecessary energy. If you are looking for new yard equipment, there are a lot of new options out there to make your job easier. I think the smallest improvement to the rake has made the biggest difference. They now make a rake that is anti-clog that prevents leaves accumulating on the rake. The other improvement has been a handle that is curved so you don't have to lean over as far preventing your back from getting tweaked. Last but not least don't forget to drink lots of water and take breaks as needed. They're just leaves, right?