The fallen leaves around your lawn may turn into a real problem during the fall. If you are tired from raking them and gathering them with your hands, look for the leaf mulcher. The best leaf mulchers gather all the leaves in no time, shred them into pieces, and offer you the mulch that protects your plants from cold winters. If you still have no idea what leaf mulcher is or how it may help you, this article is for you.
About a Leaf Mulcher
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A leaf mulcher is a powered instrument widely used for commercial and personal measures. Inside this tool, you may find specific blades or sometimes strings that cut the leaves sucked inside the tube into different sizes of pieces. Once it is done, the shreds fall into the specific bag or box attached to the mulcher. You can either throw them in the garbage can or make compost. Another option is to cover the most fragile plants in your garden with mulch for the winter. Based on the purpose of the mulch, you can choose the size of the shreds you want to receive in the end. You don’t have to wait until fall to buy the leaf mulcher. Leaves can fall any season, and you may need quick yard cleaning.
Specifics of Work
Before buying this tool, you have to make sure that you understand how it works. You will be amazed how easy it gets rid of the leaves that have been bothering you for weeks. Moreover, this tool offers you the extra use of the leaves you did not need at first. Here is a detailed description of the process:
- Leaves are sucked inside the tube, like in a vacuum cleaner;
- They reach the sharp blades that shred them into pieces;
- These small pieces go down to the bag. If there is no bag, you can put the basket or the pin for this purpose.
Not all mulchers have the blades. Some of them come with metal strings inside. The string is spinning fast and cuts the leaves into pieces in no time. You have to ensure that blades or string are sharp enough and can’t get rusty due to the wet leaves. Different brands offer plastic blades, which are also good, but not as fast or effective as those made of high-quality metal.
Do You Really Need a Leaf Mulcher?
Some people still think a leaf mulcher is a unique tool that can be bought only for commercial use. That is not true. You can use a leaf mulcher whenever you need to clean your lawn from the leaves or gather enough mulch for the flowers and crops. If you are tired of cleaning the yard manually and want to speed up the process, you can count on the mulcher. This tool helps turn the leaves into the compost pile you need.
How to Use Mulch?
If you have no idea where you can use the mulch, read this paragraph. There are numerous ways to use the mulch, including those you have never suspected. Mulch provides extra heating and protects plants around it from the cold season. Here is what you can do with it:
- Mulch is perfect for garden beds. Unlike the slowly decomposing leaves that may not provide enough protection and create only mess in the garden, mulch lays evenly and prevents the weed from growing. At the same time, mulch releases the nutrients into the soil, feeding it while decomposing;
- Mulch is a perfect source of moderate pH components your soil needs. Unlike pine straw many newcomers overuse on their flower beds, it does not have high pH. It means it suits almost any soil. While decomposing shredded leaves release phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium required by soil and the plants growing on it;
- Leaves fall mainly during the fall period, right before the winter begins. You can protect your plants with mulch for the whole season. The mulch keeps the temperature high enough to warm the plant;
- If you want to speed up the decomposition process inside the compost pile, you have to add mulch there. The shredded leaves will quickly decompose and accelerate the whole process mixing with the organic material rich in nitrogen.
Which Leaf Mulcher Do You Need?
A leaf mulcher is a great tool for any yard with trees. During the fall, you will get tired of constant cleaning and leaves gathering. There are 2 types of leaf mulchers based on the power source:
- Gas leaf mulcher works faster and can produce more mulch during one session. Yet, it needs fuel. You have to make sure that the tank is full each time you want to switch on the tool;
- Electricity. The electric mulcher can be corded or cordless. They both run on electricity. A corded mulcher needs the source of electricity and limits your moves around the yard. Cordless does not have a movement limit but needs to be charged before you start the work.
Whether you want the gas or electric model of the leaf mulcher, you still have to make sure that it meets all specific demands of your situation. Keep in mind that no matter the power source, different models provide different sizes of shreds. If you want the compost pile, you can go with the leaf mulcher making small shreds. To cover your plants from the winter colds, you need average size pieces. Think about all the specifics in advance.
Using the Mulcher on Your Lawn
You will quickly learn how to use this tool on the lawn. After you buy the model, you may read the instructions and make sure you use all the features for your benefit. Before buying, read this article and decide which features you need most.
Have you already used leaf mulcher before? Which features do you need for your yard? Express your thoughts in the comments below.