I've been seeing ads for these 'yard sweepers' that claim to pick up leaves and sticks from your lawn, but I'm not really sure if they're effective. My yard has a lot of debris that mowing just doesn't catch, and raking feels like way too much work. Are yard sweepers worth it?
3 Answers
Honestly, I just prefer to mow over everything. The leaves can act as free fertilizer, and small sticks will get broken up during mowing. I do make sure to pick up any large branches, though. But if you have a huge amount of leaves, that might be another story.
If you've got a ton of big trees and raking sounds like a nightmare to you, then a yard sweeper might be worth considering. It can really make it easier to gather and dump all those leaves, especially if you're dealing with a massive cleanup. Plus, there are leaf choppers that work well too, turning large volumes into manageable piles.
For me, if you mow often while leaves are still falling, it should mix right back into your lawn and act as natural fertilizer. But if you wait too long, you risk suffocating your grass. I usually mow until I can't anymore, then I use a bagger to chop everything up for composting. That's worked well for me!