Fall is a beautiful time of the year, with leaves falling from the trees. However, fall can also be a time of frustration regarding lawn care practices, particularly leaf cleanups. 

Should you mulch leaves or bag up the leaves on your customer’s lawn? It depends on what your customer wants. There are conditions to consider on both sides of these services.

It might not seem like a discussion point, but this debate has been ongoing for years. The answer isn’t as simple as you may think either. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide which option may be best for your customer’s property.

Mulching Leaves

Mulching a lawn is a great way to protect your customer’s yard from the decay of falling leaves. Not only does it provide the soil with much needed nutrients but mulching also keeps heavy rainwater from running off too quickly into the lower parts of the lawn. It’s also an effective way to remove unsightly leaves from your client’s property while allowing the yard to be proportionately manicured. 

Cleaning Up Leaves

Chances are, you can make more money with a leaf cleanup. You can do this by raking and bagging the leaves. Depending on the size of the yard and how many leaves are on the ground will affect the job. If you have the budget, you can invest in a leaf vacuum machine, which saves time and effort but is costly. Leaf cleanups can prevent grass damage, improve drainage, and give the yard a clean look. 

If leaves are present on your customer’s lawn as snowfall hits, it will be challenging to do a leaf cleanup at this point. 

However, as the snow melts and leaves sit in piles on the lawn, they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, attracting more wildlife. For that reason, you may suggest to your customers to at least let you mulch their leaves before winter arrives.

Pros and Cons of Mulching

Here are a few reasons to mulch leaves on your client’s lawn. First and foremost, mulching reduces soil erosion. Second, leaves can easily fall from trees into the property and may coat the grass with a bacterial film but will be challenging to see. 

However, another primary benefit of mulching leaves is to provide some protection from the wind. Trees and shrubs have good internal protection from wind, but the same protection is not present in grass. Mulching the leaves keeps the grass protected from harsh wind conditions while preventing the leaves from blowing off the lawn and making a mess everywhere. 

Now the chore of raking leaves to the curb is minimalized. Instead, mulching leaves ensures most of the leaves stay on the lawn. Plus, mulching leaves may reduce the need for expensive fertilizers and weed killers.

Pros and Cons of Cleaning Up Leaves

There is a straightforward reason why particular lawns should have the leaves mulched rather than bagged. Properties that have mulch present quickly absorb heavy amounts of rainwater. If your customer’s lawn is prone to flooding, there’s a good chance that your client’s lawn would welcome the mulching service. Mulching leaves is an efficient way to reduce water infiltration into the soil. If your customer is in an area where their yard regularly floods, this would be an excellent choice. 

However, if your client’s yard hasn’t flooded and they only experience problems with slow infiltration, then it might be best to leave the leaves on the ground to be mulched. Ironically, leaves are the perfect source of mulch for all lawns. 

Which Option to Choose

First, look at the benefits of each option. For example, if your client has property in a heavily wooded area, leaves can make the property messy and be a nuisance for your customers. You can offer a leaf cleanup service to your customers but ensure it’s a profitable job for you first. However, this will cost you time and extra effort. While mulching leaves give you a chance to save time and effort, you won’t make as much money, but it still protects your customer’s property and their investment. 

Whether it’s mulching leaves or cleaning up, one option is not better than the other, but ideally, you want to take care of your customers by providing a beautiful lawn for the fall going into the winter months. Then when spring arrives, they will be sure to stay on your mowing and maintenance schedule.