In years past after "The Great Oak Leaf Fall" of April, I would sharpen & install the 'bagging' blade, bag all the leaves, then compost them, then haul the compost back onto the grass and spread it around.
Very, dusty, dirty work and labor intensive given the old Snappers small leaf bag.
This year I decided it was time for an experiment. Instead I sharpened the 'mulch' blade and up'd the RPM's a bit. Not too high as I don't want to risk engine damage, but higher than usual. I have the impression that the B&S 5HP Quantum motor was only running at about MEDIUM.
So I raked all the leaves out onto the grass, set the blade height at MAX and went for it. Rather surprised how effective this was. No dried Oak leaves were now bigger than the size of my pinkie toe-nail!
I had to rake to level out a few mounds, but that was it. I had to do this twice more before all the leaves + tassles were finished falling. Then I laid down 2 #'s of nitrogen/1000 sqr. ft and watered it in well.
Still amazed that big piles of tough oak leaves where shredded into teeny, tiny bits like this. The 'bagging' blade paled in comparison regarding 'bulk' reduction. I was left with much more volume that I had to hand carry/drag to the compost bins.
Due to the recent rains, the turf soil feels a bit soft, the 'leaf mulch' has covered the St. Augustine's stolons & runners, keeping them moist and protected from the Sun, and the grass is a deep, emerald green due to the fertilizer.
The next greatest part is the HUGE reduction in time & labor & personal dirt retention. Filling all three bins takes about 180 cu. ft. and lots of time to build each pile to 5' high. Further, I was exhausted and there went a whole weekend afternoon.
My fears and being told 'they won't break down' quickly fell to a simple experiment: Try it. Then evaluate. I did. I have. It worked fine!
I think I'm done with the bi-annual composting routine....
Very, dusty, dirty work and labor intensive given the old Snappers small leaf bag.
This year I decided it was time for an experiment. Instead I sharpened the 'mulch' blade and up'd the RPM's a bit. Not too high as I don't want to risk engine damage, but higher than usual. I have the impression that the B&S 5HP Quantum motor was only running at about MEDIUM.
So I raked all the leaves out onto the grass, set the blade height at MAX and went for it. Rather surprised how effective this was. No dried Oak leaves were now bigger than the size of my pinkie toe-nail!
I had to rake to level out a few mounds, but that was it. I had to do this twice more before all the leaves + tassles were finished falling. Then I laid down 2 #'s of nitrogen/1000 sqr. ft and watered it in well.
Still amazed that big piles of tough oak leaves where shredded into teeny, tiny bits like this. The 'bagging' blade paled in comparison regarding 'bulk' reduction. I was left with much more volume that I had to hand carry/drag to the compost bins.
Due to the recent rains, the turf soil feels a bit soft, the 'leaf mulch' has covered the St. Augustine's stolons & runners, keeping them moist and protected from the Sun, and the grass is a deep, emerald green due to the fertilizer.
The next greatest part is the HUGE reduction in time & labor & personal dirt retention. Filling all three bins takes about 180 cu. ft. and lots of time to build each pile to 5' high. Further, I was exhausted and there went a whole weekend afternoon.
My fears and being told 'they won't break down' quickly fell to a simple experiment: Try it. Then evaluate. I did. I have. It worked fine!
I think I'm done with the bi-annual composting routine....
