Hi

Last year I was asked to look after a large, rather wild, garden for a
friend. There is about 1/2 acre of grass: it's rather rough and ready,
and undulates all over the place, but it's kept cut for playing on
(rather than as a _lawn_).

It's surrounded by trees, and this year there is a fairly heavy carpet
of leaves all over the grass (mainly due to its having been so still in
the last week or so, when the leaves started to fall).

I've made a start on raking up the leaves (which I don't mind doing),
but I'm thinking: is this worthwhile?
Would it be better to leave them in order to provide protection against
frost snow and ice?
Or better to clear them, to prevent the underlying grass being killed by
a sodden blanket of dead leaves?

BTW I have access to a ride-on mower, but it doesn't collect: mulches,
or throws to one side.

TIA
John

On 08/11/2012 13:29, Another John wrote:
Hi

Last year I was asked to look after a large, rather wild, garden for a
friend. There is about 1/2 acre of grass: it's rather rough and ready,
and undulates all over the place, but it's kept cut for playing on
(rather than as a _lawn_).

It's surrounded by trees, and this year there is a fairly heavy carpet
of leaves all over the grass (mainly due to its having been so still in
the last week or so, when the leaves started to fall).

I've made a start on raking up the leaves (which I don't mind doing),
but I'm thinking: is this worthwhile?

Generally yes unless it is a woodland. You don't have to be
perfectionist about it, but large piles of leaves will kill the grass
underneath over a winter.

Would it be better to leave them in order to provide protection against
frost snow and ice?

Grass survives frost without any problem.

Or better to clear them, to prevent the underlying grass being killed by
a sodden blanket of dead leaves?

It doesn't like seeing no light and having no air at all.

BTW I have access to a ride-on mower, but it doesn't collect: mulches,
or throws to one side.

Pity. One with a grass box would do it nicely.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 08/11/2012 13:29, Another John wrote:
Hi

Last year I was asked to look after a large, rather wild, garden for a
friend. There is about 1/2 acre of grass: it's rather rough and ready,
and undulates all over the place, but it's kept cut for playing on
(rather than as a _lawn_).

It's surrounded by trees, and this year there is a fairly heavy carpet
of leaves all over the grass (mainly due to its having been so still in
the last week or so, when the leaves started to fall).

I've made a start on raking up the leaves (which I don't mind doing),
but I'm thinking: is this worthwhile?
Would it be better to leave them in order to provide protection against
frost snow and ice?
Or better to clear them, to prevent the underlying grass being killed by
a sodden blanket of dead leaves?

BTW I have access to a ride-on mower, but it doesn't collect: mulches,
or throws to one side.

TIA
John

If you use the mower to chop the leaves, throwing them to one side, then
go over that to keep moving the leaves and grass mix sideways You will
find it easier to pick up from the thick row, also the grass will help
break down the leaves.

On 08/11/2012 15:05, Martin wrote:
On Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:55:12 +0000, David Hill
wrote:

On 08/11/2012 13:29, Another John wrote:

BTW I have access to a ride-on mower, but it doesn't collect: mulches,
or throws to one side.

If you use the mower to chop the leaves, throwing them to one side, then
go over that to keep moving the leaves and grass mix sideways You will
find it easier to pick up from the thick row, also the grass will help
break down the leaves.

Our chestnut trees recovered from an attack by moths because my wife
gathered all the leaves and got rid of them in the garden waste brown
wheelie bin. At the time she got rid of the leaves, because chestnut
leaves break down much slower than other material in the compost bin.

Almost all tree leaves are very slow to decompose. I keep my green
wheelie bin for the purpose of composting one batch every year. At the
end of the first year they get tipped out into an ordinary black plastic
bin and at the end of two or three they are perfect leaf mould.

I have mostly beech and oak leaves.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Thursday, 8 November 2012 13:29:35 UTC, Another John wrote:
Hi



Last year I was asked to look after a large, rather wild, garden for a

friend. There is about 1/2 acre of grass: it's rather rough and ready,

and undulates all over the place, but it's kept cut for playing on

(rather than as a _lawn_).



It's surrounded by trees, and this year there is a fairly heavy carpet

of leaves all over the grass (mainly due to its having been so still in

the last week or so, when the leaves started to fall).



I've made a start on raking up the leaves (which I don't mind doing),

but I'm thinking: is this worthwhile?

Would it be better to leave them in order to provide protection against

frost snow and ice?

Or better to clear them, to prevent the underlying grass being killed by

a sodden blanket of dead leaves?



BTW I have access to a ride-on mower, but it doesn't collect: mulches,

or throws to one side.


Definitely not on borders - more harm than good.
On fine lawns yes,
On rougher areas it depends on the air circulation on your site, in many places the wind will do a lot to help by blowing the leaves into certain areas where they can be picked up more easily. Or better still it will blow them into borders where they can be safely left for nature to deal with.
In my borders many bulbs are already just showing or nearly so, cyclamen or flowering or soon will be, there are self sown ornamental seedlings all over the place and messing about beyond uncovering anything that needs to see daylight on those borders would be very damaging.

Rod

In article , Martin Brown
writes
Almost all tree leaves are very slow to decompose. I keep my green
wheelie bin for the purpose of composting one batch every year. At the
end of the first year they get tipped out into an ordinary black
plastic bin and at the end of two or three they are perfect leaf mould.

I have mostly beech and oak leaves.


Oh that's what i do!! Great minds and all that!

i have a wheelie bin i bought so i could put paper in it but the council
won't collect from anything other than the black boxes so it's spare.

I wondered if i ought to drill holes in the bottom though for the water?
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 09/11/2012 11:39, Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article , Martin Brown
writes
Almost all tree leaves are very slow to decompose. I keep my green
wheelie bin for the purpose of composting one batch every year. At the
end of the first year they get tipped out into an ordinary black
plastic bin and at the end of two or three they are perfect leaf mould.

I have mostly beech and oak leaves.


Oh that's what i do!! Great minds and all that!

i have a wheelie bin i bought so i could put paper in it but the council
won't collect from anything other than the black boxes so it's spare.

I wondered if i ought to drill holes in the bottom though for the water?

I don't although the black bins have holes (well more like splits) in.
They are discarded water holding bins from various local building sites.
Junked because they got damaged and would no longer hold water.

Most of the time I have to add water to the green bin unless it is so
windy the lid comes off.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown