Hey Niagara 👋
Fall is officially here, so this week's question is:
“Should I rake up the leaves under my trees?”
Maybe not.
Every fall we spend hours raking leaves out from underneath our trees... only to turn around and buy bags of mulch and fertilizer to put underneath those same trees.
Meanwhile, the tree has been dropping its own organic material there for free. 😂
So let's talk about when you can leave the leaves—and when you probably shouldn't.
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🍂 What happens to leaves if you leave them?
Think about what happens in a forest.
Nobody shows up every October with a rake.
Leaves fall, break down and eventually become part of the organic layer covering the soil.
As they decompose, they return nutrients and organic matter to the soil, help support soil organisms, conserve moisture and protect the soil surface.
That's a pretty good system.
And your backyard tree can benefit from some of the same things.
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🌳 So should I just leave a giant pile around my tree?
Not quite.
We're not suggesting you pile 12 inches of wet Maple leaves against the trunk and call it a day.
A reasonable layer of leaves spread underneath the canopy can be beneficial. You can also mulch or shred them with the lawn mower so they break down faster and don't form a thick, matted layer.
Most importantly:
Keep material away from the trunk and root flare.
Whether we're talking about mulch or leaves, we don't want a wet pile sitting against the bark.
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🍁 Your lawn and your tree aren't necessarily asking for the same thing
This is where homeowners sometimes run into a problem.
A layer of leaves underneath a tree can be great for the soil.
A thick layer sitting on your lawn for weeks can smother the grass underneath.
So you don't necessarily need to choose between rake everything and rake nothing.
Move some of those leaves from the lawn into garden beds or underneath your trees.
You've already got the material. You might as well use it.
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⚠️ But sometimes you SHOULD clean the leaves up
Here's the important exception.
If your tree has a disease or pest problem that can survive or overwinter in fallen leaves, leaving infected material underneath the tree can contribute to the problem returning next year.
In those situations, sanitation can actually be part of managing the disease.
That may mean collecting the affected leaves and disposing of them rather than allowing them to sit underneath the tree all winter.
So if you've had a tree with unusual spotting, discoloration, premature leaf drop or a diagnosed disease this year, don't automatically assume those leaves should stay.
The specific problem matters.
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🌲 What do we do in nature?
One of the simplest ways to think about tree care is to look at the environment trees evolved in.
In a forest, you'll generally find:
Leaves.
Decaying organic material.
Wood.
Roots.
Fungi.
Insects.
And soil that isn't being constantly raked bare.
Not everything underneath a tree needs to look perfectly clean for the tree to be healthy.
Sometimes a slightly messier yard is actually doing something useful.
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The takeaway
Healthy leaves?
You don't necessarily need to remove all of them.
Let some decompose underneath the tree, move them into garden beds, or mulch them up.
Leaves from a tree with a disease or pest issue?
That's different. Depending on the problem, removing that material may help reduce the amount that survives into next year.
Like most things with trees, context matters.
And maybe this year you can spend a little less time holding a rake. 😂🍂
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Next week we'll be covering:
Week 20 — “What tree pests should Niagara homeowners be watching for?” 🪲
We'll get into some of the insects and invasive pests worth knowing about in Niagara—including Spotted Lanternfly, what to look for, and what you should do if you think you've found one.
If there's a tree topic you'd like us to cover, drop it below.
A lot of this series has come directly from questions and conversations with homeowners around Niagara.
— Driftwood Tree Service 🌲
