According to a recent report from MSN.com, mowing over leaves with a tractor can provide mulch for a lawn. Not only may it look good, the article stated, but it also helps improve the health of grasses.
However, the story also noted that homeowners should be careful of putting too much mulch on a lawn. Decomposing leaves produce carbon, and too much of it can actually take nutrients away from plants, especially of the garden variety.
Rather, homeowners may consider putting the leaves into a compost pile, which will introduce microbes that will help them decompose into a more nutrient-rich mixture. Dan Rubchinuk Healey, former Randolph Mountain Club field supervisor, noted that one benefit of composted leaves is that they won't blow away with the wind.
"Their volume reduces drastically, and they stay put when you put them down," Healey said.
Granted, there are some mixed opinions when it comes to picking up leaves. A recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times noted that while some experts feel like letting leaves stay put will do no damage to a lawn, others say they can rob grass of oxygen.
