If you're tired of raking leaves, we've got great news: experts say you should stop.

Every fall the process starts, you rake the leaves, more leaves fall. You rake the leaves, and more leaves fall. And so on, until winter. Well, if you'd rather spend your fall in Central New York sipping cider and eating pumpkin donuts, you're in luck.

The smart folks over at Popular Science say, here in the Northeast, it's actually more beneficial for your lawn if you just mow over those leaves a few times. Basically, you reduce the leave to mulch - which will then feed your lawn over the winter.

"This process is known as mineralization—throughout winter, microbes consume carbon stored in the leaves, casting aside nutrients in the process. These nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur, are essential to grass growth," according to Maxim Schlossberg, an associate professor of turf grass nutrition and soil fertility at Pennsylvania State University.

So grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte, put down the rake, and hop on the lawn mower. Science says you should stop raking, and start mowing.

 


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