How to Pick Up Leaves with Lawn Mower

There is a higher chance of seeing crisp leaves scattered across your lawn when fall sets in. That may seem satisfying to some homeowners because collecting and ranking them is a hectic job, mainly manually.

If you are looking for a suitable solution for collecting leaves, this is the right place. A lawn mower is a reliable machine you can use to cut grass on your lawn. But also a suitable one in picking up leaves.

We have covered how to pick up leaves with lawn mower through some simple methods.

Let’s explore these methods:

How to Pick Up Leaves with Lawn Mower

It is easy and efficient to pick up leaves using a lawn mower. That said, let us look at the two methods below:

1. Mulching with a Lawn Mower

The first method of picking up scattered leaves across your garden is mulching with a lawn mower. A lawn mower will help to mulch the scattered leaves when not covered.

When using a lawn mower, insert a mulch plug and then close the side port used in discharging grass clippings. The blade chops those leaves into tiny pieces while pushing the mower over the scattered leaves.

The tiny leaves fall on the ground and are left for microorganisms to break down.

Mulching leaves with your lawn mower is ideal for clearing the leaves. The method takes the minimum effort and time, and the good thing, the leaves will decompose and add nutrients to the lawn.

With a lawn completely covered with leaves but opt to mulch them, the results will be a thick, messy layer full of chopped pieces of leaves. They will clump together without breaking down, thus challenging to pick them later.

To avoid such a situation, consider the next method below.

use lawn mower to pick up leaves

2. Mow and Bag

The other method to picking up leaves with a lawn mower is mowing and bagging. It is like the previous approach, but you don’t attach the mulch plug but the lawn mower bag.

While pushing the lawn mower over the leaves, the blades chop the leaves into tiny pieces and stuff them into the bag attachment. So, you can then easily pour or dump them into leaf bags.

With this method, adjust the lawn mower to the highest setting for it not to pick grass. You will fill each bag quickly if you forget, thus emptying frequently.

The impressive thing about the method is that it will effectively work, whether with a few leaves or not. It will completely cover the yard.

In addition, the method requires less effort, and when you chop the leaves, you can use a few bags because you can easily compact smaller leaves than whole leaves. 

Unfortunately, the method has a downside – with a wholly covered yard, you must empty your bags after every 50 feet. That will also depend on the bag size you use. Each time you fill up, you must stop your lawn mower and empty the bag.

Therefore, you will have no more headaches with a compost pile or wooded area. However, you will walk back and forth to dump your waste after a couple of minutes.

Also read: Best heavy duty leaf rake

Why Choose a Lawn Mower to Pick Up Leaves?

You can consider the many methods of picking leaves, such as raking, piling, by hand, leaf vacuum, or leaf blower. However, one of the easiest and best methods to pick up leaves is using a lawn mower.

With a lawn mower, you’ll find it more potent than other methods of picking up leaves. The incredible thing about the machine is helping you quickly complete the job, and it can hold many leaves at the same time.

In addition, you don’t have to carry a lawn mower. You drive it on the lawn, thus easy to work. Moreover, a lawn mower has a large contact area than other picking up leaves’ options available.

Also read: Utility carts for compact lawn tractor

When Should You Use a Lawn Mower to Pick Up Leaves on Your Lawn?

1. Dry Leaves

The first thing to consider before using a lawn mower to collect leaves is when they are dry. The leaves will have less stress during the condition than when picking up fresh leaves.

2. The Right Time

Always pick the leaves at the right time. It doesn’t matter whether you want to bag or mulch the leaves; do it at the right time.

3. Bagging Wet Leaves

When you bag wet leaves, they will stick inside the bag’s walls. You will find it challenging to dispose of those leaves off in such a situation.

4. Fresh Leaves

It is a risky task to mulch fresh leaves. They are likely to stick in the lawn mower’s blade.

Also read: Toy lawn mowers for kids

FAQ: How to Pick Up Leaves With Lawn Mower

Can a lawn mower pick up leaves?

A lawn mower will greatly remove leaves from your lawn to reduce the waste and turn them into compost.

Municipalities allow you to collect, bag, and leave them for the curb to pick up.

When you mulch with a lawn mower, it has the advantage of combining leaves and grass clippings.

Which is the fastest method of picking leaves from your lawn?

There could be many ways to pick up leaves on your lawn, but the fastest and most efficient method is using a lawn mower.

Also read: What are the signs of a mower flooded engine?

At what height should I set my lawn mower to mulch the leaves?

Setting the lawn mower blade to 3 inches will be effective in mulching the leaves correctly.

You also have to roll the lawn mower multiple times when mulching leaves.

A lawn mower is a versatile machine; you can mow and even pick the leaves. If you’re looking at how to pick up leaves with lawn mower, leaf bagging and mulching are the best options to give you a fancy lawn.

Remember, you don’t have to pick wet leaves because they will damage your lawn mower.

All methods of using a lawn mower are reliable and effective. So, whatever method you want to use, remove the lawn’s leaves to allow grass to grow healthy.

Author

  • Ricky

    Hi, I’m Ricky. I’ve been involved in lawn care and landscaping from when I was 15. To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of pushing mowers, collecting grass clippings, and maintaining flowerbeds at the time. But having seem the passion my parents had for gardening and outdoors and the effort they put in maintaining the health and beauty of our landscape, I couldn’t help but not only admire their hard work but also I became a part of it. As someone who loves to spend time with nature’s best, I find myself learning a lot more about gardening and outdoors on a daily basis. Not to mention I love to share the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years with my readers at We Mow Dallas. To be clear, I don’t have a Master’s degree in gardening or anything like that. Everything I’ve learned about gardening, landscaping, and lawn care spring from passion and engagement with my parents. And with a ton of free information out there, plus the ability to run tests and determine what works best for lawn care and landscaping, every day is an opportunity to learn and implement something new. My goal with We Mow Dallas is to teach you exactly how to maintain your lawn and landscape. And since I walk the talk in reality, you shouldn’t hesitate to join me in this wonderful world of landscaping and lawn care.

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