Hi there!
The primary purpose of lawn mowers is to help you mow the grass and do some other gardening utilities. However, many users may want to use this device to pick up leaves in their yards.
Can I pick up leaves with my lawn mower? If the answer is yes, how can you pick up leaves using a mower? If you are wondering about these questions, don’t miss out on this post.
I will discuss the uses and characteristics of a mower in detail to bring you an honest answer. Now let’s jump straight in!
Contents
Can I Pick Up Leaves With My Lawn Mower?
Yes, it’s doable to pick up leaves using a lawn mower. You can take advantage of the mulching setting of the device or attach the machine to a bag and a leaf blower.
In the following sections, I will discuss some simple and effective methods to pick up leaves with a lawn mower. They come with some conveniences and disadvantages, which you can consider carefully before choosing.
Read more: [Top 6] Best Mower For Thick Grass
You Can Shred Leave With A Mower
Using A Lawn Mower With The Mulching Setting
Modern lawnmowers feature the mulching function, allowing the machine to shred the leaves into small pieces when you run the machine over. This method is convenient since it can help you chop and pick up large-sized leaves.
In addition, the shredded leaves will turn into nutrients and permeate back to the soil when they decompose. It’s a brilliant way to clean your garden and increase the richness of the soil.
Attaching Your Mower To A Bag
If your mowers have an extended part to attach accessories, you can combine it with a large bag. When you run the mower over the leaves, the shredded pieces will fall into the bag.
This method is particularly effective when you want to pick up large piles of leaves. You need to throw away the bag rather than leave the leaves decomposing in the garden.
Read more: Great States 815-18 Reel Lawn Mower Review
Use A Bag To Contain And Remove Trash
Combining The Mower With A Leaf Blower
If you have a leaf blower, use it to blow and concentrate the leaves into big piles.
Then, you can run the mower over these piles to cut them into tiny pieces, making them easier to clean and pick up.
The disadvantage of this method is that it’s significantly more time-consuming.
If possible, you can invest in a leaf vacuum designed specifically for picking leaves, which saves more time and effort than using a lawn mower.
In addition, the mower cannot shred and pick up wet or dense leaves very well. The machine may get stuck and waste even more time!
How Do I Get My Lawn Mower To Pick Up Leaves?
The process of attaching bags or using a leaf blower to pile up leaves is pretty simple. Therefore, I will instruct you on using the mulching function of modern mowers. Follow these steps to do it:
Step 1: Adjusting The Power
You should adjust the mower’s power and height to suit the type of leaves and the conditions in your garden. If you want to shred and pick up large or dense piles of leaves, ensure to set the machine’s power to the highest.
Step 2: Start The Machine
You can follow the manufacturer’s instructions in the owner’s manual to turn on the mulching function. Then, you can run the machine over the piles of leaves to shred and pick them up.
Step 3: Move The Mower
You need to move the mower like how you usually use it to mow the lawn. Start at one end of the garden and run over all the surfaces that have leaves on them.
The machine will come with a bag that contains the shredded grass and leave. Please turn off the engine and collect this bag to remove the trash, leaves, and grass in it.
You may have to empty this bag several times when cleaning up a large garden. The bag may need more room to contain the large piles of debris and trash in your garden.
Step 4: Cleaning Up
What if your lawn mower needs a bag to collect the shredded leaves? If it’s the case, you can use a leaf blower to blow and concentrate the shredded leaves into large piles.
Then, use a shovel to collect and put the trash into a bag to remove them. One further note is that you should shred and pick up leaves when they are dry. Wet leaves are sticky, making the cleaning process more time-consuming.
Also, don’t forget to clean your mower after every use since dead grass and leaves slowly ruin the machine’s surface.
Remember To Clean Up
Can A Lawn Mower Mulch Wet Leaves?
Yes, a lawn mower can still mulch wet leaves and grass, but the efficiency will decrease. Wet leaves are harder, more resilient, and sticky, making it harder for your mower to shred.
So, I don’t recommend using a lawn mower to mulch wet leaves. If the rain comes, wait a few days until the leaves get dry before doing the cleanup.
How To Use Leaves After Picking Them Up With A Mower?
The most popular and eco-friendly way is to compost the shredded leaves. The nutrients left in the shredded pieces will decompose into the soil in your garden, thus increasing the soil’s richness.
You can also use chopped leaves to decorate your garden or turn them into small garments. Spreading shredded leaves onto the ground will create a more natural view and increase the beauty of the site.
Can Mulching Leaves By Lawn Mower Kill The Grass
Yes, there’s a slight chance that the mower will kill the grass when you use it to mulch leaves. If you just leave the shredded leaves on the ground, they will block the sunlight and make the grass underneath die.
Final Thoughts
In summary, you can use a modern lawnmower with a leaf mulching function to shred and pick up leaves. If you use an old-generation mower, use it to shred leaves and collect the leftovers with a leaf blower.
I hope the answers provided in this post will help you pick up leaves using your mower conveniently. Thank you for reading!
