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Advice on mulching blades
#1
H
huskyboy1999
H
huskyboy1999
Hi y'all. First time poster. Apologies if I missed this somewhere else.
Let me briefly describe my gear, situation, etc. I own a Husqvarna gth48xlsi 48 hydro lawn tractor. Works very well on my property which is 8-10 acres. Every fall season, I come back to the same question: can I mulch my leaves instead of paying for a fall cleanup? I've read some forums where people say it's beneficial to the ground and is better than leaf removal, but only to a certain threshold of leaves, meaning that if it's minimal build-up, yes, mulch them. But if you have large, dense areas of leaves, those would suffocate the ground under the snow if left.
Anyone here have an opinion? I see that the Gator brand mulching blades get great reviews. But here are my main questions, in summary:
1) Can I use Gator mulching blades year-round? Any downside to using them in the summer? I.e., will the mower clog more often if mulching action is going on? Presently, my mower just spits everything out (no bagging). I have too big a lawn for bagging. The gator blades look attractive, but I'd like to know if they're suitable for year round mowing.
2) When it comes time for the leaves... what do people think? Can I mulch over a large number of leaves and call it a day? Or is that naive and it's always best to remove the leaves? I get quite a bit of leaf fall in certain areas under my maple trees and such. I can cut them up a bit with my factory blade, but they are usually an issue until I pay for the removal each year.
Thanks!
Let me briefly describe my gear, situation, etc. I own a Husqvarna gth48xlsi 48 hydro lawn tractor. Works very well on my property which is 8-10 acres. Every fall season, I come back to the same question: can I mulch my leaves instead of paying for a fall cleanup? I've read some forums where people say it's beneficial to the ground and is better than leaf removal, but only to a certain threshold of leaves, meaning that if it's minimal build-up, yes, mulch them. But if you have large, dense areas of leaves, those would suffocate the ground under the snow if left.
Anyone here have an opinion? I see that the Gator brand mulching blades get great reviews. But here are my main questions, in summary:
1) Can I use Gator mulching blades year-round? Any downside to using them in the summer? I.e., will the mower clog more often if mulching action is going on? Presently, my mower just spits everything out (no bagging). I have too big a lawn for bagging. The gator blades look attractive, but I'd like to know if they're suitable for year round mowing.
2) When it comes time for the leaves... what do people think? Can I mulch over a large number of leaves and call it a day? Or is that naive and it's always best to remove the leaves? I get quite a bit of leaf fall in certain areas under my maple trees and such. I can cut them up a bit with my factory blade, but they are usually an issue until I pay for the removal each year.
Thanks!
#2
B
bertsmobile1
B
bertsmobile1
Stop and have a think about it for a minute .
Does any one rake the floor of a forest ?
So as far as the trees & nature is concerned they can fall and stay where they land.
The leaves decompose and that feeds the soil under them which also feeds the trees.
The decomposing leaves provide habitat for a lot of creepy crawlies which are essential to good soil health .
The problem comes with what you have under the trees which is generally some thing that in nature would not be there.
We like to put pasture type grasses in lawns and they would naturally be found growing in open plain type areas and not as a ground cover under trees.
Some trees use the fallen leaves to smother out spring weed growth under them and maples are in this catageory .
Others like jackarrandahs drop their leaves to smother weeds, then the twiggs to form a sprouting mat and then their own seeds.
SO there is no single definative answer .
What I like to do is to put a ring of stones around the drip line of the trees then mulch the fallen leaves and put them inside the ring . followed by some coarse mulch to stop the wind blowing everything around.
Thus the fallen leaves become a sort of feature and not an eyesore ( nature is never an eyesore to me ) as some might see it.
If you have 10 acres then you have space for a compost bin ( if you are a neat freak ) or pile if you are a nature freak so you can bag the leaves then compost them with a bit of cow & chook but not horse .
Heavy mulching blocks off sunlight only.
Water will get through and the creepy crawleys will get air in there.
If there is no air the leave will still break down and be every bit as benificial to the soil , however the anerobic bacteria that do the job stink like a swamp, because that is what happens in a swamp.
We have just cut down 4' of flowering grass heads on the 1000 acres where my workshop is and the grass under it is pushing through the 6" thick mat of clippings .
Heavy mulching will tend to encourage the thin leaf grasses and surpress the broadleaf grasses & broadleaf weeds, and this includes clovers which being a winter grass can cause problems .
As for gators , yes use them all year round, the finer you cut the clippings the faster the bacteria can consume them and return the nutrient to the soil
Do not use them if you have a mulching plate fitted if you want to use a mulching plate then Husqvarnas mulching blades will work best.
As for mulching a large amount of leaves in a single hit, again it is not a problem for nature, it is a problem in peoples eyes.
IT would be better for the soil to mulch every week or so .
As for the effect on the ground cover, that will depend upon what it is .
Does any one rake the floor of a forest ?
So as far as the trees & nature is concerned they can fall and stay where they land.
The leaves decompose and that feeds the soil under them which also feeds the trees.
The decomposing leaves provide habitat for a lot of creepy crawlies which are essential to good soil health .
The problem comes with what you have under the trees which is generally some thing that in nature would not be there.
We like to put pasture type grasses in lawns and they would naturally be found growing in open plain type areas and not as a ground cover under trees.
Some trees use the fallen leaves to smother out spring weed growth under them and maples are in this catageory .
Others like jackarrandahs drop their leaves to smother weeds, then the twiggs to form a sprouting mat and then their own seeds.
SO there is no single definative answer .
What I like to do is to put a ring of stones around the drip line of the trees then mulch the fallen leaves and put them inside the ring . followed by some coarse mulch to stop the wind blowing everything around.
Thus the fallen leaves become a sort of feature and not an eyesore ( nature is never an eyesore to me ) as some might see it.
If you have 10 acres then you have space for a compost bin ( if you are a neat freak ) or pile if you are a nature freak so you can bag the leaves then compost them with a bit of cow & chook but not horse .
Heavy mulching blocks off sunlight only.
Water will get through and the creepy crawleys will get air in there.
If there is no air the leave will still break down and be every bit as benificial to the soil , however the anerobic bacteria that do the job stink like a swamp, because that is what happens in a swamp.
We have just cut down 4' of flowering grass heads on the 1000 acres where my workshop is and the grass under it is pushing through the 6" thick mat of clippings .
Heavy mulching will tend to encourage the thin leaf grasses and surpress the broadleaf grasses & broadleaf weeds, and this includes clovers which being a winter grass can cause problems .
As for gators , yes use them all year round, the finer you cut the clippings the faster the bacteria can consume them and return the nutrient to the soil
Do not use them if you have a mulching plate fitted if you want to use a mulching plate then Husqvarnas mulching blades will work best.
As for mulching a large amount of leaves in a single hit, again it is not a problem for nature, it is a problem in peoples eyes.
IT would be better for the soil to mulch every week or so .
As for the effect on the ground cover, that will depend upon what it is .
#3
M
mechanic mark
M
mechanic mark
Mulching is best, especially leaves, you will be adding nutrients back into your yard.
#4
H
huskyboy1999
H
huskyboy1999
So what I'm getting so far on point #1 is that mulching blades are good year-round, and there's no real downside to using them. Only potential benefits. (Unless I'm missing something).
And on point #2, what I'm hearing is that fall cleanups to fully remove leaves vs. just mulching over several times is more a matter of aesthetics. I.e., even a large volume of leaves can be mulched and left on the lawn, and they'll actually be beneficial to the soil through the winter. It's only a matter of whether a home-owner dislikes they way they "look." I personally enjoy the look of natural fallen leaves. My only concern at all on point #2 is whether there's any truth to the fact that leaves could be harmful to the lawn or suffocate it. But it sounds like "mulched leaves" don't fall into this category based on the replies so far. Is that fair? I'm guessing with larger leaf volume, I'd have to mulch them more often as they come down to prevent large buildup.
And on point #2, what I'm hearing is that fall cleanups to fully remove leaves vs. just mulching over several times is more a matter of aesthetics. I.e., even a large volume of leaves can be mulched and left on the lawn, and they'll actually be beneficial to the soil through the winter. It's only a matter of whether a home-owner dislikes they way they "look." I personally enjoy the look of natural fallen leaves. My only concern at all on point #2 is whether there's any truth to the fact that leaves could be harmful to the lawn or suffocate it. But it sounds like "mulched leaves" don't fall into this category based on the replies so far. Is that fair? I'm guessing with larger leaf volume, I'd have to mulch them more often as they come down to prevent large buildup.
#5
StarTech
StarTech
Right a gradual mulching year around is a lot better as nature has time to incorporate the materials back into the soil. I mulch all the time here on my six acres and only using the standard mulching blades and not the Gators. Now leaving areas of mulch up clipping and leaves piled up, yes it suffocate those areas. That is like eating mash potatoes by the spoonful you are fine but when start shoveling them in by the handful it chokes you.
#6
B
bertsmobile1
Yes that is about it.
We don't have maples down here except in home gardens.
If they grow above the snow line naturally then they have evolved to drop the leaves, have them sitting under snow all winter then break down in the spring.
Where you run into grief is what you are trying to grow under the tree .
So you might need to have a different fast growing grass under the trees if you want grass there .
People have a funny mind set that the images of their yard in their head has to work rather than finding out what will grow the way they want it then picking the option they like best.
B
bertsmobile1
So what I'm getting so far on point #1 is that mulching blades are good year-round, and there's no real downside to using them. Only potential benefits. (Unless I'm missing something).
And on point #2, what I'm hearing is that fall cleanups to fully remove leaves vs. just mulching over several times is more a matter of aesthetics. I.e., even a large volume of leaves can be mulched and left on the lawn, and they'll actually be beneficial to the soil through the winter. It's only a matter of whether a home-owner dislikes they way they "look." I personally enjoy the look of natural fallen leaves. My only concern at all on point #2 is whether there's any truth to the fact that leaves could be harmful to the lawn or suffocate it. But it sounds like "mulched leaves" don't fall into this category based on the replies so far. Is that fair? I'm guessing with larger leaf volume, I'd have to mulch them more often as they come down to prevent large buildup.
Yes that is about it.
We don't have maples down here except in home gardens.
If they grow above the snow line naturally then they have evolved to drop the leaves, have them sitting under snow all winter then break down in the spring.
Where you run into grief is what you are trying to grow under the tree .
So you might need to have a different fast growing grass under the trees if you want grass there .
People have a funny mind set that the images of their yard in their head has to work rather than finding out what will grow the way they want it then picking the option they like best.