Oak Leaves Do Not Kill St Augustine Lawns – Oak Leaves are Good for the Lawn

PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA

By Rick Orr

 

Image
Dead Grass near a Oak tree caused by roots
Oak Tree Roots Mass near the Surface - not just at the trunk but randomly in your lawn causing random weak spots in the lawn. These root masses could be 20 feet from the trunk and below ground. Growing grass on a root mass like this is like trying to grow grass on plywood - it doesn't work.

Myth: Oak Leaves are Killing My Lawn

This persistent myth is hard to debunk. A common scenario is that a homeowner has a landscape with young oak trees. Years go by and the lawn looks great. Then as the tree matures and becomes 50’ tall the lawn develops random weak spots. These weak spots are caused by a thick mat of roots below the surface. These weak spots are natural gathering places for Oak Leaves. The homeowner sees leaves covering a bare spot in the lawn and assumes the leaves killed the lawn. But you can’t see the roots below ground, you only see the leaves. So leaves get blamed for killing the lawn.

Image
Oak Leaves on a St Augustine Lawn
Fallen Oak leaves have a rigid frame that retains the leaf shape long after it has fallen from the tree. Fallen Oak leaves are empty hollow shells that can pulverized by a mulching mower. The pulverized pieces of Oak leaves fall into the turf canopy to be naturally recycled by composting - no bagging required.

Biology of Oak Leaves

A fallen Oak leaf retains its shape long after it has fallen from the tree because Oak leaves have a durable outer shell similar to a crab shell that does not quickly break down. It is a hollow empty shell of a leaf and has no negative impact on your lawn.

Of course, if the leaves are several inches deep and remain on the lawn for weeks, then you could suffocate the lawn – but I have never seen that happen except where someone raked leaves into a pile. And when the pile of leaves was removed the lawn quickly recovered.

Save Yourself Some Work and Don't Rake Leaves

Raking oak leaves damages the lawn. St Augustine is the least trafficable turf grass - in other words, it is damaged easily by traffic or a leaf rake. Raking leaves in the fall damages the leaf during the semi-dormant period, when recovery from such stress could take months.

The better way is to mulch the leaves with a good mulching mower and turn them into compost for the lawn. 

Composting of Oak Leaves is Beneficial – Add Water

Two critical environmental conditions must exist to compost Oak leaves; A tall canopy height of the St Augustine lawn and water. Both conditions are quite easy to achieve – mow as high as the mower will go and water as often as the law permits (even during cool weather). Do not be tempted to mow low to mulch more leaves – be satisfied they have fallen into the canopy. Trust me, the leaves will obey the law of gravity and continue to fall deeper into the canopy where biological forces will turn them into mush.

Once the Oak leaves are composted they become beneficial – not harmful – to your lawn. Below the lawn canopy, next to the soil is a very biologically active area of your lawn. It is an area of active composting. Leaves and all types of lawn debris – including dust, pollen, shells, and other pollutants - are being recycled into nutrients for the soil and plants. The Oak leaves feed the composting microbes with a steady supply of organic matter and minerals (mainly Carbon).

Image
Soil profile with diagram showing how a lawn recycles

The Natural Processing of Oak Leaves - No Raking/Bagging Required: The natural organic method (and perhaps the easiest) for processing of Oak leaves in St Augustine lawns is to mow your lawn with a mulching mower. The mulching action shatters the oak leaves and allows them to fall into the turf canopy. Once inside the canopy, the oak leaves are composted by natural processes to provide nutrients, minerals and organic matter for soil microbes and the lawn.

 

 

Rick Orr Owner-Staff Agronomist Barefoot Grassl/Creator of ILOVETURF.COM
Rick
Orr
Staff Agronomist at Barefoot Grass

Since 1995, Rick Orr has worked in Pinellas County providing turf management and pest control. Rick Orr is a graduate of VA Tech in Agronomy (Turf Ecology) and the creator of Iloveturf.com. 

Since graduating from VA Tech in 1979, Rick worked in the green industry, mostly with golf courses, resorts, and large communities. Rick has obtained certifications in arboriculture, landscape, irrigation, and taught Environmental Horticulture at St Petersburg College. 

Currently, Rick is the Staff Agronomist at Barefoot Grass in Largo, FL. To learn more about Barefoot Grass https://www.barefootgrass.com/ Free Price Quote from Barefoot Grass for Home Pest Control and/or Lawn Care https://www.barefootgrass.com/contact-weed-control/ 

Find Rick on these social sites: