The weather is cooling off, and it's changing the colors of the leaves and pumpkins in your head. The fall season is upon us! As the trees start to shed their leaves, you could be thinking, do I need to remove my leaves? Take a look at a few scenarios which could be applicable and tips for managing each.

When should you rake your leaves?

Here's what you should be aware of in case you're ever attracted to putting leaves on your lawn.

• Local ordinances could apply: Some cities, as well as neighborhood HOAs, may have rules on eliminating leaves in the interest of cleanliness. In this instance, you must plan to mow your lawn, or you could face the possibility of a fine.

• The lawn might be damaged: If you rake your leaves as you've been instructed that leaving debris left behind can suffocate grass, disease, pests, block the flow of water, nutrients, and stop new grass blades from forming the next spring. Even though these issues could be caused by a heavy layer of dirt, you should not be concerned about taking out every single leaf to safeguard your lawn.

• Leaves can cause other issues: Apart from risking their health and the well-being of the lawn, leaves can also block downspouts and storm drains, cause staining on wood decks, and cause the sidewalks slippery.

Alternate Methods to Raking Leaves

If you'd like to have your leaves removed, however, you don't want to rake them or employ a leaf blower, look at these other options:

Cut the leaves. Make sure the leaves that fall are nice and crisp. Then, push the lawnmowers over the leaves. (If the leaves are over a certain amount of an inch in depth, it is possible to rake it a bit before you start.) Mowing the leaves breaks them into tiny pieces, which allows them to provide food and protection to the grass. If you want, mow without bags.

Make the leaves mulch. It's acceptable to leave a small coat of freshly cut leaves on your lawn, but leaves are also a great mulch. The process of removing chopped leaves is as simple as bagging them when you're mowing as well as using the vacuum included with the leaf blower. Once the leaves have been bagged, throw the leaves in the vicinity of your trees and into your garden beds to provide nutrients to your soil.

Compost the leaves. No matter if you blow, rake, or mow your leaves, you should think about collecting them and adding them to the compost heap. But be aware that leaves cannot compost by themselves. They require regular rotation in the correct level of moisture as well as other organic materials. Find out more about the fundamentals of composting if interested in this possibility.

Leave the leaves. What if you live in a rural area and don't have grass? Maybe your city doesn't need the removal of leaf litter from the property? In this case, you could leave the leaves in place, provided you aren't bothered by how they look. If you don't remove them, the leaves can cause the grass to suffocate under them. If the leaves do fall off or are cleaned and swept away, you may see a lawn that is dwindling or, even worse, dirt to be found in the spring.