After I mulch mow, I can still see brown leaf shreds on my lawn. Is this a problem?

After mulching you may see leaf shreds both on the surface of the grass and in between the blades of grass. But they should not be of the density or size (under 1" square) that will block light and/or smother the turf. Over the winter, those leaf shreds on top of the grass should fall into the root zone soil, as well. There, they will decompose naturally by mid to late spring.

Lawn showing shredded leaves (on right)
after one pass of mulching mower.

Can I mow over the millions of acorns on my property? I am afraid they will break my mower! There are SO MANY this year!

Acorns are either too heavy and won’t be sucked up, and/or the mower setting/blade height won’t put the blade any where near the acorns.

You can gather them if they present a condition which either tracks the cracked broken shells in the house, or creates a concern for an unwanted 'roller skating' condition.

One nice "green" idea is to gather them up and put them off to the side, so the wild life can still have the natural food source.

Are ticks an issue due to Mulching-In-Place?

LELE leaf mulching, when done with appropriate equipment and easy-to-learn techniques, results in very finely shredded leaf mulch. This is not what is termed in the scientific literature as “leaf litter.” Leaf litter consists of piles of whole leaves, typically found under trees and/or at yard margins such as along a fence, wall, or foundation. Leaf litter may be an attractive home to ticks.

While there are no specific studies yet published on the impact of LELE practices on tick populations in suburban lawn areas, the available research allows one to reasonably conclude that there should be no increase in tick populations due to the fine mulching/shredding of leaves. In fact, population reduction would be expected. One important factor leading to this conclusion is that shredded leaves differ significantly from whole leaves since they provide a micro-environment that is lower temperature and humidity, thus an environment less hospitable to ticks.

The recommended LELE practice of leaving leaves alone in wooded areas should not cause any increase in ticks: the net impact will not be significantly different from naturally occurring levels. Other environmental factors including rodent population levels and acorn crop density will have a more direct effect on increased tick populations. Because of this, composting mulched leaves and/or grass clippings along with food waste, if undertaken by the homeowner, should be carefully monitored for rodent attraction.

Note also that there has been reports of a greater density of ticks in leaf litter under Barberry shrubs.


Read more background - what we know about ticks - an interview with Dr. Rick Ostfeld of The Cary Institute.

Listen to a podcast from "A Way To Garden" concerning the latest on backyard tick research, with Dr. Neeta Connally.

Final thoughts from a sustainability perspective:

What LELE practices provide at their heart is the low-cost restoration of a natural waste management cycle back into the landscape, by allowing the nutrients locked up into leaves to be re-cycled into the soil (on lawns or in garden beds). By the simple technique of finely shredding such leaves, the breakdown and decomposition of said materials occurs at an accelerated rate. Soil quality, water retention, and plant health are all improved.

Complete removal of leaves from properties, suggested by some as a solution to ticks, actually robs both your soil and plants of much needed nutrients and micro-nutrients, and incurs associated costs in higher erosion, loss of biodiversity, damage to roots and re-generating seedlings, and disruption of natural aesthetics. 

Read a more detailed analysis surveying some available tick research in this context.

What can I do to reduce ticks in my yard?

Details on how to manage your yard to reduce ticks in a sustainable manner can be found in this handout from Pollinator Pathways:

Landscape to Repel Ticks Without Using Pesticides

Pesticides kill beneficial insects, like the bees and butterflies that pollinate the plants around us, and wash into waterways degrading water quality and harming aquatic life. They are also toxic to pets and people.

Instead of spraying to kill ticks:

Rid your yard of Japanese barberry, which has been proven to harbor the white-footed mouse and the deer ticks that accompany them. The best pesticide-free method to control this invasive plant is to cut it back in March before the leaves come out and dig out the root system.

Keep play areas for pets and children mowed. Mow the part of the yard you use to discourage ticks, which prefer tall grasses or shade to protect from extreme temperature changes.

Plant native pollinator-friendly plants that will draw a healthy mix of beneficial insects and birds to your yard. Birds eat insects, including ticks. (Plant lists available at Pollinator-pathway.org and Xerces.org.)

Consider including these plants that repel ticks:
• American beautyberry, a native plant that also provides berries for birds
• Fleabane daisies
• Mountain mint, also a wonderful source of nectar for pollinators
• Garlic, Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, Mint, dill
• Dutch white clover
• New England asters

Put up bird and bat houses to draw insect-eating birds and bats to your yard. Bats can eat 2000 insects per day and one opossum will eat 5000 ticks per season.

If you must spray, consider non-toxic botanical repellants instead of poisons. The botanical product that has been tested for its effectiveness against black-legged ticks is garlic oil (Hays and Stafford, Journal of Medical Entomology, March 30, 2015). The study concludes that garlic oil could provide a minimal-risk option for control of ticks. More information can be obtained from Mosquito Barrier which sells a garlic product that can be used for mosquitoes, ticks and other insect pests. Garlic will repel pests rather than killing them. The royal gardens in England are treated with garlic spray, despite the odor which dissipates after a day.

The best way to protect from ticks is to apply repellant to clothing before going into high grasses or woods, wear light-colored clothes, tuck pants into socks, always check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after you come in.

For more information, visit Norwalkriver.org/landscape-responsibly/

What are some LELE Tips for Landscapers?

Some simple tips for effective and efficient mulch mowing from landscapers experienced with LELE practices in the field:

• SLOW DOWN! Mulch mowing is different than grass mowing. (Slower speed allows finer leaf chop.)
• Install mulching blades (e.g.; “Gator" blades or mower brand-specific blades) on mowers.
• Close the mulch plate on the mower deck.
• Keep your mower blades well-sharpened.
• Mow grass high through the fall so that leaf shreds can settle between grass blades.
• Adjust the blade height to 2.5-4 inches high. (You'll need to experiment to determine optimum setting for your mower and site turf conditions to maximize leaf chop and minimize throw from under the deck.)
• Mulch when leaves are dry or semi-damp, whenever possible.
• Take on no more than 2/3 or 3/4 of a deck's width of material at a time. (With a full deck's width, you may be making the machine work too hard, often resulting in the “toss” of some un-chopped leaves right out the front and sides of the mower deck - it's simply a case of too many leaves at a time for the mower.)
• Face mower discharge to the work-to-be-done side for easy re-grind when necessary.
• If required, multi-pass to shred leaves completely (around 1" square is target size).
• On subsequent passes, use a criss-cross pattern over the lawn to minimize rutting.
• With deep leaf piles, raise the front of the mower to "attack" into the pile, then lower deck back down. Repeat this "raise & lower" chopping technique as required. (Hint: a counter weight on the rear of the deck helps reduce the effort to raise/tilt the chassis.)
• Blow excess leaf shred on surface of turf across a wider lawn area to even out. Excess shred can also be blown into nearby landscape beds as a mulch.
• Mulch mow collected leaves next to a target area where you desire to use the resulting mulch.
• Learn the ROLLING CHOP technique to allow the mulcher man to work in concert with the man with the blower so that in a short time, everything is processed "in situ." (See details here.)