Fall is the season of pumpkin spice lattes, cozy sweaters and Halloween parties. It’s also the season in which all the trees decide to strip and dump their leaves over your property. While there’s an undeniable beauty to the carpet of crimson and gold left behind, those fallen leaves can quickly become a nuisance once they start blocking drains and killing your lawn. Knowing how to tackle nature’s confetti can help prevent many headaches later down the line. Below are 5 common problems in Autumn caused by fallen leaves and what you can do to prevent them.
Clogged gutters
The importance of gutters is often overlooked. They take the rainwater runoff from your roof and help to direct it into your drains via a downspout. Without gutters, rain from your roof would pour down the sides of your home and pool around the base of your property. Not only do gutters stop you treading straight in a puddle whenever you leave your home, but they also help to keep your foundations dry, reducing the risk of subsidence.
In Autumn, fallen leaves can sometimes end up drifting in the wind and finding themselves lodged in your guttering. Too many leaves can lead to blockages, which can cause water to spill over the sides of your gutters instead of being diverted down your drain. If not dealt with, this can lead to puddles and foundation damage.
It’s worth inspecting your gutters towards the end of Fall and cleaning out any leaves. This can help to prevent blockages so that your gutters continue functioning properly. You can clean out your gutters yourself using a ladder and some gloves, or you can hire a professional company that specializes in repairing and cleaning gutters near you.
Blocked drains
On top of jamming up your gutters, leaves can also potentially clog up your drains. When leaves get wet, they can clump together and form thick masses over grates and inside drain holes. This can lead to slow drainage, causing water to back up and flood your yard.
If you notice that your drain is covered in leaves or is draining slowly, you may need to consider clearing the leaves away to stop your drains from further clogging. You can easily clear away leaves in and around a grate yourself, however a blockage of leaves deep inside your drain may require hiring a drainage specialist.
Drain rods, pressure hoses and caustic soda solutions are some of the ways in which experts clean out drains. While you can acquire these tools and attempt to unblock your drains yourself, it’s often easier to hire a professional.
Sun-starved lawns
Is your lawn covered in leaves? Letting them lie there is not recommended. Layers of leaves can end up blocking out sunlight, which can cause the grass below to die. In some cases, dead leaves can also promote lawn diseases if not removed. All in all, leaving leaves will likely lead to a patchy and unhealthy lawn that could be hard to revive in the Spring.
There are many ways to remove leaves from a lawn. The simplest and most traditional removal method is to use a rake. Alternatively, you can invest in a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum to quickly remove them. It’s also possible to use a mulching mower – a specialist mower that can shred and pick up all the leaves from your lawn.
Whatever method you choose, make sure to dispose of the leaves after and not just leave them in a pile at the side of your yard. Piles of leaves will just end up being scattered over your lawn again the next time there is a strong wind, so plan to bag them up or dispose of them directly into a compost bin.
Slippery paving
When leaves get wet they can become very slippery. This is particularly the case on hard surfaces like patios and driveways. In sub-zero temperatures, wet leaves can even freeze and result in uneven icy surfaces. This can make stepping outside very treacherous.
To avoid nasty fall injuries, make sure that you’re also cleaning leaves off of any paving or decking. A broom is the simplest tool for this task – but you can also use a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum. For thick layers of wet and frozen leaves, you may find it easier to use a shovel. De-icer may be needed to loosen up frozen leaves (or you can simply wait until they have thawed to remove them).
As with keeping your lawn leaf-free, it’s also important to not just pile up leaves next to your driveway or patio once you’ve finished sweeping them up – they’ll just end up back on your paving the next time it gets windy. Dispose of leaves straight away so that they don’t become a recurring nuisance. Of course, as trees continue to lose their leaves, you will have to keep re-sweeping your patios, but you don’t want to have to deal with last week’s leaves as well as this week’s fallen leaves.
Pest shelters
Another reason to remove piles of leaves is the fact that they can make an attractive home for many types of household pests. Beetles, spiders, ants, cockroaches, centipedes, snails, slugs, mice and even rats are some of the creatures that like to take shelter in piles of leaves.
By getting rid of piles of leaves, you can stop them from becoming nests for critters – potentially reducing pest problems in your home and yard. As soon as you’ve raked or swept up a pile of leaves, bag up those leaves in a tight bag or bin them. What about using leaves as mulch? Some people do cover plant beds with a layer of leaves to help reduce frost damage and waterlogging in the winter. But this may not be recommended with plants that are attractive to pests, as the leaves may end up breeding critters that eat away your prized shrubs. Shredding leaves first and only applying a fine layer can help reduce pests.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
