Autumn leaves. The colorful foliage is a pride and joy of Wisconsin. But once they’re on the ground, then what?
UW-Madison Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist Paul Koch is working on a three-year research project that looks into whether or not you should rake your leaves, mulch them, or leave them.
He says he found it’s best to leave them on the lawn and mulch them up with the lawn mower. Make sure they’re spread evenly across the lawn so that grass is poking through. The added organic matter provides nutrients for the grass.
Koch says fall is the best time of year to control perennial weeds with herbicides after the first hard frost. These include creeping charlie, plantain, and dandelions.
“Once that first hard frost comes, the weed starts to say that it’s ready us to get ready for winter,” Koch explains. “So it’s going to start to move its nutrients down underground to get ready for the upcoming winter. And if you apply an herbicide at that time, it’s going to take the herbicide with it and provide a more complete control of the underground storage parts of the weed.”
He advises you to read the label on your herbicide product carefully so that you don’t end up with a completely brown lawn. If you accidentally kill your grass, your only option is to reseed, Koch warns.
