Final leaf pick-up

[stevej37]

One last pass over the lawn with the Trac-Vac today.
Sunny and 38 degrees. Picked up a lot of snow in spots.

[Bugsinrugs]

Nice set up. Wish I had that.

[stevej37]

My yard is about an acre...and it's full of mature maple trees. Raking them up is a killer.
The Trac-Vac makes easy work of it.
The only problem is...where to go with the chopped-up leaves? The pile keeps getting bigger and bigger.

[MAS956]

Originally Posted by stevej37

My yard is about an acre...and it's full of mature maple trees. Raking them up is a killer.
The Trac-Vac makes easy work of it.
The only problem is...where to go with the chopped-up leaves? The pile keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Can you burn 'em?

[stevej37]

^^^
I've tried that...after getting chopped up by the mower blades and mixing with any grass..they won't burn. I wish they would.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by stevej37

My yard is about an acre...and it's full of mature maple trees. Raking them up is a killer.
The Trac-Vac makes easy work of it.
The only problem is...where to go with the chopped-up leaves? The pile keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I hear ya, Stevie!

[Heel n Toe]

Why not just close off the discharge chute and mulch 'em? It's good for the soil.

This guy's video is unintentionally funny with his FACE filling half the screen, but he seems to know what he's talking about. I watched the first half... that's all you need to know.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by stevej37

One last pass over the lawn with the Trac-Vac today.
Sunny and 38 degrees. Picked up a lot of snow in spots.

Mulching isn't an option if ya REALLY have leaves and the rate they fall. Trees held on to 'em this year... only half are on the ground, and some have just started falling.... it's a process

Steve, yer setup is awesome... and just way too clean!

I mulch as much as possible, blow some properties (my house & dad's), and have a Cyclone Rake for serious leaves.... but I only have a couple of 5 gal buckets of walnuts .... glad they're over.

I don't even have a snow shovel though .... so I reckon win .

[stevej37]

[QUOTE=KC911;11520753]Mulching isn't an option if ya REALLY have leaves and the rate they fall. Trees held on to 'em this year... only half are on the ground, and some have just started falling.... it's a process


The leaves cover the ground (like Crowbob's pic)....I trac-vac them up and the very next day, it looks like I never picked em up. Did that for a week straight. Too much to mulch.

[PorscheGAL]

Our leaves are just starting to fall. We will rake up until Christmas probably.

[GH85Carrera]

We have not yet had our first freeze. The leaves are changing for sure and starting to fall.

I blow them into a pile, rake them up, and compost them for the wife's flower gardens.

[BK911]

I have never raked or mulched leaves and I live in the middle of a wooded lot.
Leaves can get several inches thick and in some places even more.
Grass always seems to come back in spring.
But you guys/gals have fun with your toys!

[masraum]

https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2019/09-25-19-Leave-the-Leaves

With the arrival of fall, the National Wildlife Federation wants to remind you to put your rake and blower away and leave the leaves on the ground as nature intended. Raking up fallen leaves and sending them to a landfill in bags is the norm for most American families during the fall. However, these actions not only harm the environment and wildlife habitat, but also rob your garden of precious nutrients.

“Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own? Turning leaves into solid waste is, well, wasteful,” said National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski. “Removing leaves also eliminates vital wildlife habitat. Critters ranging from turtles and toads to songbirds, mammals and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring. Also, sending organic matter such as leaves to the landfill causes the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Best of all, the less time you spend removing leaves, the more time you’ll have to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and the wildlife that visits your garden.”

The solution: let leaves stay where they fall. Wherever possible, let fallen leaves break down naturally, which helps improve the soil and provides countless wildlife species with habitat. While leaves will smother your lawn, consider replacing lawn areas with planting beds, filled with native plants and mulched with fallen leaves. If you must remove leaves, use them as mulch in your existing garden beds or compost them on site rather than throwing them away.

You guys complaining about all of this work that you seem to be inventing for yourselves.


WHen I was in HS, I remember there was a particular spot in my neighborhood where the leaves would blow across the street (in front of townhouses, so only 5-10mph "street" for access to/from parking, not a through-street). In my old car, in the wet, I could floor it and the rpms would run up to 5k or 6k as the tires spun. I remember once when the leaves had been a few inches deep, and then they got rained on. I drove through them and blipped the gas to spin the tires, but because the wet leaves were there, i remember the tach wrapping around which was 8k. Apparently, they were MUCH slicker than just wet asphalt.

So, they probably shouldn't be left on streets or maybe sidewalks, but the ground/lawn, sure, no problem.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by BK911

I have never raked or mulched leaves and I live in the middle of a wooded lot.
Leaves can get several inches thick and in some places even more.
Grass always seems to come back in spring.
But you guys/gals have fun with your toys!

Have always liked toys!
I also like a nice lawn.

[ckelly78z]

I live on a 5 acre farm in Northern Ohio with many mature Maples, and Ash, some Oak trees. I have to mow one more time before I pull the big 72" belly mower off of my John Deere 855, this will take care of most of the leaves, and the scouring Winter winds will take care of the rest.

The tractor has a 60" front end loader, and I use it for much of my firewood processing, and with 4WD, it moves snow like nobodies business.

I haven't raked a leaf in 25 years.

[Bill Verburg]

You guys are lucky, I have a couple of acres of mostly Oak, w/ a scattering of Ash, Beach, Birch, Dogwood and Maple surrounded by 1500 more acres of the same, They all come down sequentially, w/ the Oaks hanging on well into Dec., The first permanent snow is the signal that leaf season is over

[flipper35]

Ours just blow into the fields next door.

[LWJ]

I have nearly 70 big leaf maples on 2/3 of an acre. I blow leaves until about February.

But, I blow them down the hill into my side yard. The birds, bugs, critters LOVE to play in that.

Perfect solution. Grass isn't dead. And happy ecosystem.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

I have nearly 70 big leaf maples on 2/3 of an acre. I blow leaves until about February.

But, I blow them down the hill into my side yard. The birds, bugs, critters LOVE to play in that.

Perfect solution. Grass isn't dead. And happy ecosystem.

Yep, really great for birds, bugs, and critters. Also probably very good for the plants in the area too. May act as some insulation, certainly acts as mulch and turns into rich dirt.

70 maples on 2/3 acre. Wow, that's a lot of trees. Are they stacked on top of each other?

Granted, I live on the edge of what is called "blackland prairie" and "post oak savanna", but I got lucky and live near a ravine, so I have more trees and stuff besides just grasses. I've got a few old oaks (live and white and others) and half a dozen native pecan trees, and then farther from the house in the more wild area, there's a slew of other stuff including a few cedars. Fortunately, we don't worry about leaves (or pecans) between mowing/mulching and the wind.

[stevej37]

[QUOTE=LWJ;11521116]I have nearly 70 big leaf maples on 2/3 of an acre. I blow leaves until about February.


That's a lot more than I have on my 1.25 acres!
I'm just glad mine aren't oak trees....the woods down the road from me is almost all oaks and the leaves just keep hanging on.....