Many homeowners enjoy the look of fall leaves decorating their lawn. Warm autumn colors add to the ambiance and help get everyone in the mood for the season. While these leaves may be beautiful and seem harmless on your lawn, they actually pose serious dangers to your lawn and all who walk across it.

Allowing a blanket of leaves to accumulate on your lawn kills your grass, promotes diseases, and houses dangerous pests. Here are three reasons why leaves need to be removed from your lawn in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and the surrounding areas.

Leaf Clutter Suffocates Your Lawn

Leaf blower removing fall leaves from yard in Des Moines.

Your lawn needs access to sunlight, water, air, and nutrients to grow strong and healthy. When you allow leaves to accumulate on top of your lawn, this thick blanket suffocates your lawn and blocks sunlight, water, and air from reaching through. Without proper sunlight, your grass can’t go through photosynthesis and absorb nutrients from your soil. Removing leaves and keeping your yard clear of debris and clutter will ensure your lawn has access to all the nutrition it needs to stay strong and healthy.

Wet Leaves Promote Diseases & Fungal Growth

Leaf clutter can pose serious health problems for your lawn, plants, and your loved ones. Damp, rotting leaves create a wet blanket that traps moisture underneath, creating the perfect environment for fungi and mold to cultivate. Mold is not only harmful to your lawn and landscape but is also a hazard to your health. Walking through a thick layer of leaves on top of your grass disturbs the mold and releases toxic spores into the air. If you or your pets breathe these in, you can suffer some pretty severe respiratory complications, dizziness, and other health issues.

Fall leaves on your lawn may look beautiful, but allowing leaves to accumulate will kill your lawn, allow diseases and mold to grow, and can hide dangerous pests.

A Leaf Blanket Houses Dangerous Pests

Cluttered leaves blanketing yard in West Des Moines.

While some people love the look of a beautiful blanket of fall leaves atop their lawn, these leaves hide a dark secret. Underneath all that autumn color, pests like spiders and snakes hide and thrive. It’s very common in the fall for spiders and snakes to seek refuge beneath leaf clutter. When a layer of dead leaves coats your lawn, it increases the risk of you, your loved ones, and pets coming into contact with these pests. If bitten, the victim can become seriously ill, and sometimes the results are fatal. Removing any dead leaves from your lawn and keeping your lawn regularly raked will lessen the likelihood of coming into contact with dangerous pests that pose a threat to your well-being.

Keep your lawn healthy and safe with our leaf removal services!

Autumn is nearly upon us and soon leaves will begin falling and cluttering lawns across Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and other nearby communities. Don’t wait; call us today at (515) 289-2020 to get on our list for leaf removal and fall cleanup services. Our experts have the experience and equipment necessary to remove fall leaves from your yard and keep your lawn healthy and your family safe this holiday season.