4 ms·

it's called a broom!

gumby 12y ago
Indeed! Leaf blowers are dreadful for the environment: ignoring the noise and combustion emissions, they blow all the coverage off the soil leaving a packed result that absorbs no water and can't support plant growth. No leaf blowers (and low maintenance in general) on my yard leads to thick grass that doesn't need a lot of watering. My neighbors all use 'em and the strip of "lawn" next to the road on every other house looks like concrete. I understand the gardeners like them because it's fun and empowering, but so would a flamethrower. Neither is much good for the garden.
- melling 12y ago
  If you've got a lot of trees and don't remove the leaves, you'll still have a lot throughout the year.
  - ars 12y ago
    It seems to me it's best to remove the leaves in the early spring, rather than the fall. That way you have a protective, and fertilizing, leaf cover over the winter.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
    Mow them. The last time I used a rake was living on a tiny lot. Moved to a 1/2 acre lot and began to mow the leaves into tiny scraps. Now live on a much larger, exposed hilltop property and the wind takes care of the leaves for me :-)
    - organsnyder 12y ago
      I feel weird when I mow the leaves every year—everyone else is spending hours raking, while I take under two hours with the lawn tractor. I keep wondering why everyone doesn't do it, like I'm missing something. I also don't bag grass clippings; it seems silly to remove all of this potential fertilizer from my lawn, only to have to apply artificial fertilizer later on.
      - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        One better: I let them blow away. But I live on 80 acres; nearest neighbor half a mile away.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
        I never got the point of bagging grass clippings either, seems like useless work. Then again, I don't fertilize my lawn or spray it for weeds either. It's just grass (OK, grass, clover and dandelions in my case), why is everyone so anal about this shit?
        organsnyder 12y ago
        I don't understand the obsession, either. I keep our lawn watered (no water shortages in Michigan) and mowed. Beyond that, I just let the fittest turf—whether it's regular grass, clover, or dandelions—survive. As long as it's not painful to walk on, it's fine. In fact, I like the variety.
Chinjut 12y ago
Broom? Isn't it called a rake?
- organsnyder 12y ago
  Not on pavement.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
ars 12y ago
How do you use a broom on a gravel driveway?
dghughes 12y ago
...and also called being active! And I'm surprised there isn't a Roomba for lawns.
- ars 12y ago
  There is. There are enough of them that here's a comparison page: http://www.probotics.com/robotic-lawn-mowers/robot-mower-compare.htm http://www.probotics.com/robotic-lawn-mowers/robot-mower-com...

gumby 12y ago

Indeed! Leaf blowers are dreadful for the environment: ignoring the noise and combustion emissions, they blow all the coverage off the soil leaving a packed result that absorbs no water and can't support plant growth. No leaf blowers (and low maintenance in general) on my yard leads to thick grass that doesn't need a lot of watering. My neighbors all use 'em and the strip of "lawn" next to the road on every other house looks like concrete. I understand the gardeners like them because it's fun and empowering, but so would a flamethrower. Neither is much good for the garden.

melling 12y ago
If you've got a lot of trees and don't remove the leaves, you'll still have a lot throughout the year.
- ars 12y ago
  It seems to me it's best to remove the leaves in the early spring, rather than the fall. That way you have a protective, and fertilizing, leaf cover over the winter.
- HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
  Mow them. The last time I used a rake was living on a tiny lot. Moved to a 1/2 acre lot and began to mow the leaves into tiny scraps. Now live on a much larger, exposed hilltop property and the wind takes care of the leaves for me :-)
  - organsnyder 12y ago
    I feel weird when I mow the leaves every year—everyone else is spending hours raking, while I take under two hours with the lawn tractor. I keep wondering why everyone doesn't do it, like I'm missing something. I also don't bag grass clippings; it seems silly to remove all of this potential fertilizer from my lawn, only to have to apply artificial fertilizer later on.
    - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
      One better: I let them blow away. But I live on 80 acres; nearest neighbor half a mile away.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 12y ago
      I never got the point of bagging grass clippings either, seems like useless work. Then again, I don't fertilize my lawn or spray it for weeds either. It's just grass (OK, grass, clover and dandelions in my case), why is everyone so anal about this shit?
      - organsnyder 12y ago
        I don't understand the obsession, either. I keep our lawn watered (no water shortages in Michigan) and mowed. Beyond that, I just let the fittest turf—whether it's regular grass, clover, or dandelions—survive. As long as it's not painful to walk on, it's fine. In fact, I like the variety.

Chinjut 12y ago

Broom? Isn't it called a rake?

organsnyder 12y ago
Not on pavement.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

ars 12y ago

How do you use a broom on a gravel driveway?

dghughes 12y ago

...and also called being active! And I'm surprised there isn't a Roomba for lawns.

ars 12y ago
There is. There are enough of them that here's a comparison page: http://www.probotics.com/robotic-lawn-mowers/robot-mower-compare.htm http://www.probotics.com/robotic-lawn-mowers/robot-mower-com...