If your yard is filled with deciduous trees, autumn comes with both pros and cons. On the plus side, you’re treated to gorgeous fall colors every year when the temperatures begin to drop and the trees prepare for their winter hibernation. You also get to jump in the leaves and hear that satisfying crunch as you clomp through them. But fall is called “fall” for a reason, and with that comes one of the most backbreaking chores of the year: raking up all of the leaves that have tumbled down from your trees to your lawn.
The good news is that you don’t have to rake up every last leaf. Fallen leaves decompose, creating mulch and providing essential nutrients to grass, flower beds, and other spots where plants might have taxed the soil as they grew. That’s why a lot of pros suggest keeping raking to a minimum and just letting nature take care of the hard stuff.
Of course, if your yard is overloaded with trees or if they’re close to your house, raking at least some of the leaves away is a must. Piles of leaves near your siding can create an ideal environment for mold and mildew as the season progresses, not to mention tempting hiding spots for bugs, mice, and other pests. (Eliminating hiding spots for pests is one of the best ways to minimize critters getting inside your home, according to pest pros.) And if you’re part of a homeowners association with rules about leaf maintenance, it’s best to abide by those bylaws and take care of leaf cleanup.
More good news: You don’t need anything fancy to get the job done — just a really good rake, according to landscaping pro Kyle Breiner, owner of Breiner Lawn lawn and landscaping business in Circleville, Ohio. For his part, Breiner recommends grabbing a 24-inch leaf rake from Truper. He swears by the brand — he’s been using it since his first boss in the industry handed him a Truper over 20 years ago.
“I’ve been using the Truper leaf rake for years — it’s basic and simple but gets the job done,” says Breiner, who also provides landscape tips on his popular Instagram and TikTok accounts. The price is a selling point (literally) as well, with a price of just $26.99 at Ace Hardware. Given how affordable they are, Breiner’s team stocks up on them so everyone can pitch in and tackle the raking task more quickly. “They are very inexpensive so we purchase multiple each year for our employees to each use one at the same time on the job site,” he says. A tool that allows you, your partner, and perhaps some other members of your family to pitch in? Yes, please.
While Breiner and his team do use leaf blowers and mowers on particularly large properties, rakes always come in handy for maintaining a pile and transferring it to a compost bin or mulcher. But before you start raking, Breiner does suggest paying attention to your surroundings in one major way: “When raking big areas, always try to rake with the direction of the wind,” he says. After all, you don’t want a big gust to turn that perfect leaf pile into a flurry.
