Fallen leaves, twigs, and other debris are common to have on your lawn, especially during the fall here in Michigan. It can be pretty easy to turn the other cheek when it comes to having a messy lawn. However, leaving excess debris on your lawn does more than just lower your curb appeal. Debris smothers your grass and blocks sunlight, water, and essential nutrients from reaching it. Debris also attracts various critters to your lawn and harbors pest infestations. Leaving excess debris on your lawn can even provide the ideal environment for harmful lawn diseases.

Debris Smothers Your Grass

Excess yard debris can smother your lawn, blocking sunlight, water, and vital nutrients from reaching your grass and getting to its roots. This can kill the grass directly under the debris as well as inhibit the growth of new grass during the growing seasons. If you are dealing with large leaf piles in the fall, this debris will make it even more difficult for your lawn to green up in the spring because it prevents your grass from accessing the things it needs to survive the winter. Also, the weight of heavier debris like dead branches and wet leaf piles can cause your soil to become compacted, which typically results in further complications with your grass receiving the nutrients it needs. All in all, leaving excess debris on your lawn will definitely take a toll on the overall health of your turf; this can also decrease your lawn's resistance to stressors like insect infestations and lawn diseases.

Debris Invites Pests to Your Lawn

Beetle found in leaf debris in Macomb, MI.

By leaving excess debris on your lawn, you could be inviting countless pests to inhabit your property, such as ants, earwigs, spiders, beetles, and even termites. Dark, moist leaf piles and piles of twigs or branches provide the ideal living conditions for a variety of pests. This debris can provide warmth and insulation for these pests, which further encourages them to invade your yard. Pests that end up on your property could start feeding on your grass which could cause significant damage, or they could even end up inside of your home or business. Because this debris attracts pests, it also offers the perfect environment for them to breed, which can lead to larger infestations in the future. Save yourself from having to pay for curative pest control treatments and keep your yard free of debris.

Untouched yard debris can even attract pests like rodents and snakes to your property!

Debris Can Harbor Lawn Diseases

Brown patch lawn disease found in New Baltimore, MI.

Because the debris on your lawn smothers your grass, it also forms a barrier that traps moisture in the ground and limits air circulation. So, if your property receives any precipitation, this trapped moisture can trigger the growth of mold and fungus and offers the perfect environment for harboring lawn diseases like brown patch, dollar spot, leaf spot, fairy ring, and snow mold. These diseases can also infect other parts of your lawn and even spread to your landscape beds. The best way to prevent these harmful diseases from affecting your lawn is to clear the excess debris from your yard.

Give us a call to schedule our yard cleanup services today!

If your lawn is littered with leaves, branches, and other debris, our team at Big Lakes Lawncare can help you. We offer both spring cleanups and fall cleanups that will keep your property looking neat and tidy throughout the year; our yard cleanups include plant trimming, debris removal, lawn mowing, and edging. Since 2014, we have provided these convenient services to the homes and businesses in Macomb, Shelby, Chesterfield, and nearby cities in Michigan. If you are interested in scheduling our yard cleanup services, give us a call at (586) 200-0855 today!