UW Study Shows Mulching Leaves May be Better for Lawns Than Raking

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023 -- 8:00 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) A study from UW-Madison says raking your autumn leaves for disposal might not be the best way to care for your yard.

A new study from UW-Madison shows that mulching your fall leaves right into your yard may be good for the grass. Professor Paul Koch says early data shows greener grass the next winter.

"I think the reason for that is it's added nutrients from the breaking down of the leaf organic matter. And that organic matter is also holding on to more moisture in the soil."

Koch says mowing those leaves in place as mulch could keep your yard greener in the spring. "We have plots side by side where we mulch the leaves in and right next one is that we didn't mulch the leaves in, and the ones that we had the leaves mulched in came out looking better."

Koch says leaving leaf piles on the curb could contribute to increased nitrates in groundwater. "There's concerns with runoff of phosphorus and other nutrients as they go as rain falls through those leaf piles can take nutrients into into the surrounding lakes."

Koch says early research shows that mulching leaves and leaving them on your grass over the winter can help turf grow back greener and healthier.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.