TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Fall may be the most beautiful time of the year, and many places have made leaf watching a tourism windfall, but the leaves aren’t as pretty when they’re ankle-deep in the yard. Left alone, they can do real damage to your lawn. In this week’s Angie’s List report, we look at the different ways to remove those leaves and what to expect if you hire someone to do it for you.
If your yard has deciduous trees, then fall can be a back-breaking time. Raking leaves is strenuous work, but it’s essential to keep your lawn lush and healthy.
Mold, in particular, is one problem with letting leaves collect. There are alternatives to raking, of course. You can mulch them back into your lawn, but you’ll need to stay on top of it as they continue to fall.
Many people hire out this time-consuming task. Most pros will rake, blow and vacuum leaves away depending on the layout of your yard. Some will even chop up the leaves and leave them for you to use in the garden or add to a compost pile. Angie’s List members report paying an average of $180 for leaf removal, but each job is different.
Angie says to wait until you have leaves on the ground before getting free, in-person estimates from different contractors. She also suggests saving some of the leaves somewhere to turn into compost that you can spread around your shrubs and gardens in the springtime. It keeps them from going to the landfill and saves you from buying mulch in the spring.
