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Got chewed out at a neighborhood meeting for my 'excessive' leaf blowing habit
A retired gardener stood up and told me my gas blower was probably killing more bugs and worms than the actual leaves were smothering. Now I just rake them into the flower beds and let them rot naturally - my lawn actually looks greener after two months. Has anyone else had their whole yard routine flipped by a blunt neighbor?
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christopherh792mo ago
Did you ever stop to think about what's actually living in that layer of dead leaves? I read a study last year from some university that said a single handful of leaf litter has more bugs and microbes than the whole rest of your lawn combined. That retired gardener sounds like someone who actually knows dirt not just landscaping. Raking into flower beds is what my grandpa did for forty years and his tulips were the biggest on the block. Gas blowers just stir up dust and noise without really getting anywhere. You might be onto something with the natural rot approach.
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park.miles2mo ago
The study sounds right but I think people overstate it. A healthy lawn already has plenty of microbes and bugs deep in the soil, they don't all live in the leaf layer.
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