Raking leaves vs. mulching leaves

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Advantages and disadvantages of raking leaves

• A garden which has been cleared of leaves looks neat and tidy
• Collected leaves can be composted
• Raking leaves is good exercise and a chance to get fresh air
• Raking will clear pine needles, twigs and other garden debris which can’t be mulched
• Raking is environmentally friendly
• Too many leaves can starve a lawn of air and light; they can also encourage disease and pests

• Raking leaves can be labour intensive
• Lifting large piles of leaves into bags or bins can be hard work
• If you don’t have a compost bin you need to find a way to dispose of the leaves
• If you have lots of leaves you’ll need a good quality rake
• Raking all of the leaves can take away nutrients trees and plants can benefit from
• Lots of leaves means you might need to rake a number of times during autumn and winter

Advantages and disadvantages of mulching leaves with a lawn mower

• Using a lawn mower is not as labour intensive as raking leaves
• Mulched leaves left on soil provide a natural fertiliser
• If the mower collects the mulched leaves, the mulch can be used on any part of the garden to feed the soil
• Mulched leaves in compost will break down quicker than whole leaves

• Your lawn mower may need to have a mulching blade
• Lawn mowers need to be powered by electricity or petrol
• Too many mulched leaves can starve grass and plants of light and air, and encourage pests.
• Lawn mowers are much more expensive to buy than hand rakes
• You can only mulch fallen leaves, not pine needles and other debris
• During heavy leaf fall you might need to mow more than once a week
• Mulching diseased leaves can spread the disease