Q: I use a rake to gather the leaves falling from my trees. I am getting older, and the raking is getting harder. My neighbors have more trees, and they use leaf blowers, but they are noisy. Is there a benefit to the lawn for either tool?
A: A leaf rake is great for small landscapes. They can pick up large leaves, but leaf rakes are not good for small leaves such as honeylocust leaflets. Rakes damage grass plants by tearing off leaves, and they can uproot entire grass plants. This is especially true in shady lawns where grass plants don’t grow as well and have small root systems. Where are shady lawns? Under trees, of course.
Rakes don’t work as well as a leaf blower on paved surfaces such as driveways, patios, and rooftops. Rakes don’t work as well as leaf blowers at removing leaves from the top of hedges or from evergreen branches. And finally, rakes don’t work as well as leaf blowers in tight areas like those between boulders, at the base of a fence, or between boards on a deck.
