The simple answer is this: Leaves fall off trees so that the trees can survive the winter. During that process, the trees lose a lot of water – so much water that when winter arrives, the trees are no longer able to get enough water to replace it.

A leaf’s job is to turn sunlight into food for the tree. To do this, the leaf needs water. When the leaf is empty, the tree stops holding onto it and it falls to the ground, or blows away in a gust of wind.

The leaves go from green to brown but stay on the dead tree branches. However, every fall the leaves die, too, but they first turn colors and then fall off the tree. First, it is important to understand why leaves fall off the trees every year.

How long for leaves to decompose? It takes 3-6 months for leaves to decompose in a compost bin, ready to be used for your yard. If you dump them somewhere on a pile, without turning them over or creating a moist environment, it takes about one year, or longer.

Plant leaves fall to the ground. There the leaves are broken down by bacteria and put back into the atmosphere. Along with cycling carbon, the organisms of decomposition break down other, less common substances that are part of the plants, and return these to the soil.

Yes, leaving fallen leaves to decompose does return valuable nutrients to the soil, provides habitat for lots of important and valuable insect species over winter, and acts as a natural mulch. Layers of leaves block sunlight and trap excess moisture against the lawn, resulting in bare patches come spring.

Excessive leaf matter on your lawn going into winter is bad for several reasons. First, it will smother the grass and if not removed very soon in the spring it will inhibit growth. Second, it can promote the snow mold diseases. And finally, turf damage from critters (voles, mice) can be more extensive in the spring.

While in most cases, your lawn will benefit if you keep the leaves where they fall, some raking may be necessary, the experts agree. If you do remove your leaves, the best thing to do is cut them up and drop them in a plant or flower bed or another part of your lawn that doesn’t get leaf cover, Mizejewski said.

A thick layer of leaves on your yard prevents it from absorbing air, nutrients, and sunlight. As it becomes difficult for air, water, sunlight, and nutrients to reach the lawn’s root system, a lawn may develop disease, cause flooding, or even attract pests.

Just like your food scrap waste becomes fertilizer in the form of compost, your fallen leaves will work hard to feed your yard and gardens—so don’t bag up those valuable nutrients and abandon them at the curb for the landfill!

While you can certainly wait until spring to rake up the leaves, be prepared to deal with other resulting yard and garden issues that may become apparent at that time. Mulching leaves into the lawn works very well as long as it is done several times throughout the season.

According to most lawn care experts, allowing fall leaves to remain on your lawn over winter will most likely result in reseeding in the spring. When left unattended, fallen leaves will accumulate and form a dense mass that can damage or kill grass and plants.

DO NOT rake your leaves! They’re home to butterfly larvae, microbes and worms. And leaf litter is where many species of butterflies and moths overwinter as pupae. Animals like toads, shrews and salamanders benefit from leaf litter to hide and hunt, too. This fall, let your rake collect only dust.

Raking leaves off of the lawn allows the grass blades to breathe and absorb moisture for thirsty roots. If you do not rake the leaves from the grass, they slowly form a wet barrier. Pathogens can easily breed on the damp leaves, which causes widespread damage to the turf below.

You can skip raking completely by mowing over leaves and chopping them into small pieces. Use a grass catcher to gather leaves as you mow over them. You also can allow leaf pieces to decompose in place on the lawn. To do this, chop leaves into dime-size pieces.

Raking leaves is considered moderate physical activity, similar to a brisk walk, according to Barbara Ainsworth, an exercise epidemiologist at San Diego State University. It helps build upper-body strength, as well as core strength, or strength in your back and stomach.

Raking and bagging leaves: 350-450 calories per hour. Gardening: pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc.: 200-400 calories per hour. Mowing the lawn: 250-350 calories per hour.

All the chores that burn the most calories are great for toning arms and shoulder muscles. Vacuuming comes in just behind mopping, with 132 minutes of vacuuming your home each week burning 387 calories. Unsurprisingly, sweeping the floor is also great for fitness.

Raking leaves won’t seem like so much work if you follow these tips. – Don’t rake wet leaves. Dry leaves are light as a feather and easy to rake. Do not apply pressure on the rake–you just want to move the leaves, not scrape the soil or dredge up old grass clippings or mulch.