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Don't Blow Those Fall Leaves Into the Street

Making It Grow! Minute logo

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Regardless of whether or not you have warm season or cool season turfgrass, you shouldn’t let the fallen leaves sit on top of your lawn for too long. Many homeowners now have companies who do their lawn maintenance, and in some small yards, the maintenance crews actually blow the leaves rather than rake them. Sadly, many times they blow them into the street and pile them by the curb. If it rains before the city removes them, those leaves will be washed into the storm sewers and end up in nearby lakes or streams or rivers where Microorganisms will break them down, releasing stored nutrients, and can cause harmful algal blooms that leave fish gasping for breath. Check with your local municipality to find out what local ordinances may require you to do to dispose of leaves safely. 

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.