If you want to leave the leaf mulch on the lawn to improve your grass, take the grass catcher or bag off the lawn mower, being very careful of the blade. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/8/88/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet1. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet1. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/8/88/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet1. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet1. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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<br />\n</p></div>"} However, if you want to use the mulch elsewhere, you may want to leave the grass catcher attached to the mower, as this saves you the effort of raking up the mulch afterwards. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/8/84/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet2-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/8/84/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-1Bullet2-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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If you plan to remove the leaf mold for use elsewhere, consider raking the leaves up into a smaller area. That way, after mowing you will have less area to cover when gathering the leaf mold. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/c/c0/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet1-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/c/c0/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet1-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Alternately, you can leave the grass catcher on the lawn mower and scoop the leaf mold out of there. You may need to keep emptying this, depending on how much leaf litter you have. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/d/d4/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet2-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/d/d4/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-2Bullet2-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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If the mulch is still too thick on your lawn, try reattaching your grass catcher or bag and passing over it again – this will gather up some of the mulch. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/1/1d/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet1-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/1/1d/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet1-Version-2. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet1-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Alternately, you can rake some of it up and use it elsewhere. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/d/da/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/v4-460px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet2-Version-2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/d/da/Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet2-Version-2. jpg/aid5012614-v4-728px-Mulch-Leaves-with-a-Lawn-Mower-Step-4Bullet2-Version-2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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Although fallen leaves will mulch the lawn naturally, mulching the with the mower helps them to break down (decompose) faster, especially if they are mixed in with grass clippings. This will happen naturally if you use a mower to make the mulch. Fall is a good time to do this, as the leaf mulch will also protect the grass roots over winter.

If you are replacing a mulch layer from the previous year, remove any old mulch before you apply a fresh layer. Leaf mulch is also good for adding to the compost heap.