Leaf Mulching is one of the more organic methods of leaf removal. And, it is very lawn friendly. 

If you have a push mower, it is more than likely that it is already mulch-capable. Most of the time, there is a plastic shoot where grass exits the push mowers deck. You should be able to remove the plastic shoot, and block the hole in the mowers deck. Most newer lawn mowers come with a mulching blade as well. If not, one can easily be picked up for around the price of .00. 

If you have a riding lawn mower, attachments can be purchased (for most) to block the hole in the mowers deck. Mulching blades can also be purchased for a price in the area of .00. The prices and attachments vary by mower type, but most of the time the attachment is a small plastic cover with gumby straps that hold it to the deck. It simply fits of the exit hole on the mowers deck, blocking anything from escaping and in return mulching it

So why should you mulch?

Well there is a few good reasons. The first, it is a lot easier than manually raking your leafs with a leaf rake. Depending on your yard size, leaf raking can be a long, pretty intense task. And with the technology available in this day and age, it is not a "must do" task. 

The second, mulching leafs and returning them back to the soil is an excellent organic lawn care method. It return rich nutrients and iron to your lawn that grass strives on. By returning these nutrients back to the soil, you will notice a thicker, greener, all around healthier outcome within your grass. 

The third is the cost factor. Tools like leaf blowers and vacuums can get very expensive. With some leaf blowers costing 0-0 and up, and some vacuums costing 0-00 dollars you can easily see why mulching is extremely less expensive. You should replace blades every season depending on the use involved. So at the worst conditions, and the cheapest leaf removal tool it would take almost 8 years of purchasing mulching blades before you would reach the cost of a low-end leaf vacuum!
Leaf Blowing
Leaf blowers are a very effective, but also very expensive method of leaf removal depending on the size of your yard. Small leaf blowers can run 0 to 0 dollars. While they are good for small leaf removal projects, sidewalks, and driveways, people with larger, tree filled yards will quickly become disappointed with the limitations on the smaller blowers. 

For larger, leafier yards, I personally recommend the BR600 from Stihl. While there are more powerful models available, the BR600 packs a punch and is able to move large piles of leafs, wet or dry. It also moves snow with little problem. 

Depending on if you live in a city, and what city that is, normally there are scheduled leaf pickup services. By blowing your leaves to the curb side or street side, large city trucks with vacuum hoses will come and remove you leaf piles as long as they are in an acceptable area. The city than compost or mulches the leafs for recycled use at a later time. And normally this is done free of charge!
Leaf Vacuuming.. Compressing
Leaf vacuuming also provides a method of mulching or compressing your leaves. 

My favorite leaf vacuum is the stihl hand held model. It is light weight and compresses leafs at a 14:1 bag ratio. The bag straps onto your back and has an easy unzip and dump feature. They run around 0 but are worth the money if you need to go this route. I normally use the BR600 to blow the leafs into a pile and then use the leaf vacuum to mulch and compress the pile. The mulched leaves can then be used for a compost or a cheap-organic fertalizer where needed. 

Another type of leaf vacuum is the walk behind model. Troy-Bilt and Craftsman make notable versions of these. They basically look like a push mower, except they have a vacuum attached to the front and a fairly large bag attached to the back. They do what they are supposed to, however I am not a giant fan of these models. I would rather purchase the mulching attachment for a push or riding lawn mower and mulch the leafs. These pieces of equipment can run in the area of 0 depending on versions. 

The other type of leaf vacuum is the riding mower attachment. It is the same principle as the push mower version, except for use with a riding lawn mower. I am not a giant fan of these models either and they are more for professional use. They are also very pricey, 0+.

Related Leaf Vacuum Articles

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Technorati Tags: Cleanup, Fall, fall leaf cleanup, favorite leaf vacuum, Leaf, Leaf Blowers, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuum articles, low-end leaf vacuum, small leaf blowers

Leaf Mulching is one of the more organic methods of leaf removal. And, it is very lawn friendly. 

If you have a push mower, it is more than likely that it is already mulch-capable. Most of the time, there is a plastic shoot where grass exits the push mowers deck. You should be able to remove the plastic shoot, and block the hole in the mowers deck. Most newer lawn mowers come with a mulching blade as well. If not, one can easily be picked up for around the price of .00. 

If you have a riding lawn mower, attachments can be purchased (for most) to block the hole in the mowers deck. Mulching blades can also be purchased for a price in the area of .00. The prices and attachments vary by mower type, but most of the time the attachment is a small plastic cover with gumby straps that hold it to the deck. It simply fits of the exit hole on the mowers deck, blocking anything from escaping and in return mulching it

So why should you mulch?

Well there is a few good reasons. The first, it is a lot easier than manually raking your leafs with a leaf rake. Depending on your yard size, leaf raking can be a long, pretty intense task. And with the technology available in this day and age, it is not a "must do" task. 

The second, mulching leafs and returning them back to the soil is an excellent organic lawn care method. It return rich nutrients and iron to your lawn that grass strives on. By returning these nutrients back to the soil, you will notice a thicker, greener, all around healthier outcome within your grass. 

The third is the cost factor. Tools like leaf blowers and vacuums can get very expensive. With some leaf blowers costing 0-0 and up, and some vacuums costing 0-00 dollars you can easily see why mulching is extremely less expensive. You should replace blades every season depending on the use involved. So at the worst conditions, and the cheapest leaf removal tool it would take almost 8 years of purchasing mulching blades before you would reach the cost of a low-end leaf vacuum!
Leaf Blowing
Leaf blowers are a very effective, but also very expensive method of leaf removal depending on the size of your yard. Small leaf blowers can run 0 to 0 dollars. While they are good for small leaf removal projects, sidewalks, and driveways, people with larger, tree filled yards will quickly become disappointed with the limitations on the smaller blowers. 

For larger, leafier yards, I personally recommend the BR600 from Stihl. While there are more powerful models available, the BR600 packs a punch and is able to move large piles of leafs, wet or dry. It also moves snow with little problem. 

Depending on if you live in a city, and what city that is, normally there are scheduled leaf pickup services. By blowing your leaves to the curb side or street side, large city trucks with vacuum hoses will come and remove you leaf piles as long as they are in an acceptable area. The city than compost or mulches the leafs for recycled use at a later time. And normally this is done free of charge!
Leaf Vacuuming.. Compressing
Leaf vacuuming also provides a method of mulching or compressing your leaves. 

My favorite leaf vacuum is the stihl hand held model. It is light weight and compresses leafs at a 14:1 bag ratio. The bag straps onto your back and has an easy unzip and dump feature. They run around 0 but are worth the money if you need to go this route. I normally use the BR600 to blow the leafs into a pile and then use the leaf vacuum to mulch and compress the pile. The mulched leaves can then be used for a compost or a cheap-organic fertalizer where needed. 

Another type of leaf vacuum is the walk behind model. Troy-Bilt and Craftsman make notable versions of these. They basically look like a push mower, except they have a vacuum attached to the front and a fairly large bag attached to the back. They do what they are supposed to, however I am not a giant fan of these models. I would rather purchase the mulching attachment for a push or riding lawn mower and mulch the leafs. These pieces of equipment can run in the area of 0 depending on versions. 

The other type of leaf vacuum is the riding mower attachment. It is the same principle as the push mower version, except for use with a riding lawn mower. I am not a giant fan of these models either and they are more for professional use. They are also very pricey, 0+.

Technorati Tags: Cleanup, Fall, fall leaf cleanup, favorite leaf vacuum, Leaf, Leaf Blowers, leaf removal, Leaf Vacuum, low-end leaf vacuum, small leaf blowers

Ah, the beautiful colors of fall foliage. It's a wonderful time of year. There is a cool crispness in the air, a welcome change after the heat and humidity of the summer. In fact, fall is some people's favorite time of the year - unless, of course, they are the ones who have to rake all the leaves after they fall to the ground.

Collecting leaves and bagging them can be a tedious, hard, time consuming project. If you have very many trees in your yard, or a very large yard to rake, you might want to think about investing in a lawn vacuum. This piece of equipment can decrease your amount of yard work, and make a hard job much easier.

There are three different kinds of leaf vacuums. These vacuums are available in a handheld model, a push model and a riding vacuum. The model you decide to purchase will depend on how large of a job you have.

For small jobs and tight spaces, the hand held model is ideal. If you have a larger area, a walk behind push type vacuum works well. For large yards with lots of leaves, you might think about investing in a riding leaf vacuum.

Handheld models are great for small jobs. These machines usually often double as both a blower and vacuum. The vacuum feature usually attaches to a bag that collects the leaves. However, these hand held models don't have a large motor, and don't offer a lot of suction.

They work well only after leaves are freshly fallen, and not so good after they have gotten wet and packed down. Along cleaning small areas, these hand held vacuums can also be used to clean patios, pool decks or driveways.

A walk behind push vacuum works much like a push mower. As it cleans the leaves from your yard, this vacuum will usually mulch or shred the leaves and then send them to an onboard bag which can be dumped at your curb, or easily bagged.

Many gardeners like these types of vacuums because the collected, shredded leaves can be used to make mulch. However, these push vacuums don't maneuver easily into small spaces so you may wind up raking these anyway.

If you have a large woodsy yard, you might want to consider a riding leaf vacuum. These vacuums look much like a riding mower except they have a vacuum instead of a cutting blade. These riding vacuums are better than push ones because they can clean a larger path and also have stronger vacuum motors than push vacuums.

They also require less effort on your part since all you have to do is steer the vacuum. The collection bags on these riding vacuums also holds a much larger volume of leaves than those on the push variety and don't have to be emptied as often. This means you spend more time cleaning your yard and less time emptying the collection bag.

So if you are facing a big raking job, you might want to think about a leaf vacuum. With three models available, you are sure to find a vacuum that is perfect for your needs.

Technorati Tags: a leaf vacuum, can a leaf vacuum take the work out of yard work, Leaf, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuums, Take, vacuum, Work, Yard, yard work

There's something about fresh fall leaves and their colors that tends to bring out the kid in almost anyone. The exceptions generally lie with those who have to clean them up. Raking is a chore. Blowing is often a futile effort. Using a leaf vacuum, however, can be a dream.

The leaf vacuum design is not necessarily new, but it is a concept that hasn't caught on 100 percent. The idea behind one of these vacuums is to suck up the leaves into a bin or a bag, rather then blowing or raking them into a neighbor's yard, a sewer drain or even a pile that likely will scatter again as soon as the first good wind blows.

Although the apparent intent of a leaf vacuum system is to bag up the leaves for garbage disposal, this doesn't have to be the case. In fact, these handy little reverse leaf blower systems can actually be rather environmentally sound.

The advantages to a leaf vacuum rather than a rake or blower are many. They include:

* Speed. It is simply much faster to clean up a yard of dead, fallen leaves using one of these. While the bag or can might need to be emptied a few times, piled leaves won't have to be chased back down if a wind blows.

* Composting. The benefits of using a leaf blower to those who like to compost, rather than throw their yard trash away are amazing. Since they are pre-bagged or canned, the leaves can easily be moved from all over the yard to the compost pile. This beats trying to pick them up a barrel full at a time hands down.

* Water preservation. Many people think it is okay to rake or blow their leaves into open sewer gates. Although leaves are organic in compound, they might have pesticides or other chemicals on them. Putting them into a sewer system or storm water drain system can wreak havoc on a waster water treatment plant's ability to keep up with its incoming flow and disinfection requirements.

While this might seem of little consequence to a home owner or renter, the fact is it can end up costing money down the road if sewer rates have to be raised. One home's leaves likely aren't a problem, but 1,000 homes' messes would be.

* Simplicity. Using a leaf vacuum is about as simple as using a blower or even a wet/dry vac. While raking can be difficult for some people to accomplish, using the vacuum shouldn't be. This means kids can be brought into help and even those who aren't advised to undertake strenuous activity.

* Better appearing yard. Some people spend hours raking or blowing only to find the leaves returning back to their yards a few short hours or days later. When a vacuum is used, the leaves are removed permanent - either to the garbage or the compost pile.

Operating like a blower in reverse, a good leaf vacuum can make yard work a much more enjoyable task. When composting comes into play, one of these devices can actually pay off well for the environment, too.

Find More Leaf Vac Articles

Technorati Tags: Designs, Environmental, Good, Leaf, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuum design, leaf vacuum designs, leaf vacuum designs make good environmental sense, Sense, vacuum

Cleaning the yard is something that most people do not want to do. With all those dried leaves and weeds that need to be collected, it is no wonder why people hate yard cleaning so much. Have you ever heard somebody who volunteers for yard cleaning among your family members? Your answer is surely no. Yard cleaning is one of the last things that will be done in your to-do list because of how difficult and tiring it is.

Many companies that manufacture gardening tools and equipment have probably heard the woes and complaints of those who always clean the yard because they just make their lives easier by creating a gardening machine that makes cleaning the yard a breeze. This machine is called ‘leaf vacuum’ and it is a must-have for every gardener or homeowner with yards that require regular maintenance. There are so many benefits that you can get from using leaf vacuums and some of them are listed below.

•    Leaf vacuums are like the regular vacuums that you use inside the house to suck in dust and other microscopic things to make your house clean and dust-free. But since leaf vacuums are used outdoors, they suck in dried leaves and other small things that litter up your yard. Cleaning the yard is very easy because all you have to do is point the nozzle to the area where there are many leaves and in just a few minutes, all the dried leaves will be gone and your entire yard will be clean.

•    These machines also make yard cleaning faster than if you use rakes and brooms. They are powered by gas or electricity and do not require much effort from you. Leaf vacuums are very convenient especially for large yards. You can finish cleaning the yard in one day—very much faster if you compare it to when you were still using rakes and brooms, in which you usually finish after several days.

•    You will have no muscle or back pains that you usually experience after just one day of raking and sweeping the yard from having to bend down or straighten up repeatedly. Even elderly people or those who usually experience physical pains after doing manual labor can also use leaf vacuums.

•    Leaf vacuums are the cousins of leaf blowers. The difference is that a leaf vacuum suck in dried leaves while a leaf blower blows them away. If you are using a leaf vacuum, the waste and debris will be gathered in the bag attached to the vacuum, which makes it easy to dispose them afterwards. For leaf blowers, you still need to remove the pile of dried leaves that you have blown in one area.

Using a leaf vacuum is a very good way to make cleaning the yard a lot easier and faster, especially for those who are not so physically strong or those who are always busy. Always remember to follow the instructions written on the machine’s manual for you to be able to maximize its efficiency and capacity.

More Leaf Vacuum Articles

Technorati Tags: Benefits, benefits of using leaf vacuums, Leaf, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuum articles, leaf vacuum suck, leaf vacuums, Using, Vacuums, yard cleaning

Cleaning the yard is something that most people do not want to do. With all those dried leaves and weeds that need to be collected, it is no wonder why people hate yard cleaning so much. Have you ever heard somebody who volunteers for yard cleaning among your family members? Your answer is surely no. Yard cleaning is one of the last things that will be done in your to-do list because of how difficult and tiring it is.

Many companies that manufacture gardening tools and equipment have probably heard the woes and complaints of those who always clean the yard because they just make their lives easier by creating a gardening machine that makes cleaning the yard a breeze. This machine is called 'leaf vacuum' and it is a must-have for every gardener or homeowner with yards that require regular maintenance. There are so many benefits that you can get from using leaf vacuums and some of them are listed below.

Flymo Garden Vac 2700 - Click Here

• Leaf vacuums are like the regular vacuums that you use inside the house to suck in dust and other microscopic things to make your house clean and dust-free. But since leaf vacuums are used outdoors, they suck in dried leaves and other small things that litter up your yard. Cleaning the yard is very easy because all you have to do is point the nozzle to the area where there are many leaves and in just a few minutes, all the dried leaves will be gone and your entire yard will be clean.

• These machines also make yard cleaning faster than if you use rakes and brooms. They are powered by gas or electricity and do not require much effort from you. Leaf vacuums are very convenient especially for large yards. You can finish cleaning the yard in one day-very much faster if you compare it to when you were still using rakes and brooms, in which you usually finish after several days.

Black & Decker 2600 Watt Blower / Vacuum Shredder - Click Here

• You will have no muscle or back pains that you usually experience after just one day of raking and sweeping the yard from having to bend down or straighten up repeatedly. Even elderly people or those who usually experience physical pains after doing manual labor can also use leaf vacuums.

• Leaf vacuums are the cousins of leaf blowers. The difference is that a leaf vacuum suck in dried leaves while a leaf blower blows them away. If you are using a leaf vacuum, the waste and debris will be gathered in the bag attached to the vacuum, which makes it easy to dispose them afterwards. For leaf blowers, you still need to remove the pile of dried leaves that you have blown in one area.

Using a leaf vacuum is a very good way to make cleaning the yard a lot easier and faster, especially for those who are not so physically strong or those who are always busy. Always remember to follow the instructions written on the machine's manual for you to be able to maximize its efficiency and capacity.

By Viliam V. Kanis

Looking for the best products and lowest prices on Leaf Vacuums We compare the best products and show you the lowest prices online at the Chipper Shredder

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Viliam_V._Kanis
http://EzineArticles.com/?Benefits-of-Using-Leaf-Vacuums&id=2609392

Technorati Tags: benefits of using leaf vacuums, flymo garden vac, hate yard cleaning, Leaf, leaf blower, Leaf Blowers, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuum suck, leaf vacuums, yard cleaning

Author: M. Jedediah

There's something about fresh fall leaves and their colors that tends to bring out the kid in almost anyone. The exceptions generally lie with those who have to clean them up. Raking is a chore. Blowing is often a futile effort. Using a leaf vacuum, however, can be a dream.

The leaf vacuum design is not necessarily new, but it is a concept that hasn't caught on 100 percent. The idea behind one of these vacuums is to suck up the leaves into a bin or a bag, rather then blowing or raking them into a neighbor's yard, a sewer drain or even a pile that likely will scatter again as soon as the first good wind blows.

Although the apparent intent of a leaf vacuum system is to bag up the leaves for garbage disposal, this doesn't have to be the case. In fact, these handy little reverse leaf blower systems can actually be rather environmentally sound.

The advantages to a leaf vacuum rather than a rake or blower are many. They include:

* Speed. It is simply much faster to clean up a yard of dead, fallen leaves using one of these. While the bag or can might need to be emptied a few times, piled leaves won't have to be chased back down if a wind blows.

* Composting. The benefits of using a leaf blower to those who like to compost, rather than throw their yard trash away are amazing. Since they are pre-bagged or canned, the leaves can easily be moved from all over the yard to the compost pile. This beats trying to pick them up a barrel full at a time hands down.

* Water preservation. Many people think it is okay to rake or blow their leaves into open sewer gates. Although leaves are organic in compound, they might have pesticides or other chemicals on them. Putting them into a sewer system or storm water drain system can wreak havoc on a waster water treatment plant's ability to keep up with its incoming flow and disinfection requirements.

While this might seem of little consequence to a home owner or renter, the fact is it can end up costing money down the road if sewer rates have to be raised. One home's leaves likely aren't a problem, but 1,000 homes' messes would be.

* Simplicity. Using a leaf vacuum is about as simple as using a blower or even a wet/dry vac. While raking can be difficult for some people to accomplish, using the vacuum shouldn't be. This means kids can be brought into help and even those who aren't advised to undertake strenuous activity.

* Better appearing yard. Some people spend hours raking or blowing only to find the leaves returning back to their yards a few short hours or days later. When a vacuum is used, the leaves are removed permanent - either to the garbage or the compost pile.

Operating like a blower in reverse, a good leaf vacuum can make yard work a much more enjoyable task. When composting comes into play, one of these devices can actually pay off well for the environment, too.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/leaf-vacuum-designs-make-good-environmental-sense-155504.html

About the Author:
For more vacuum information please visit http://www.vacuumtips.com - a popular vacuum website that provides tips, advice and vacuum resources. Don't forget to check out our page on leaf vacuums.

Technorati Tags: good environmental sense, good leaf vacuum, leaf blower, leaf blower systems, Leaf Vacuum, leaf vacuum design, leaf vacuum designs, leaf vacuum designs make good environmental sense, popular vacuum website, vacuum

To move and clear debris such as leaves in the garden, a leaf blower is an ideal garden tool. Addressing pollution issues, four stroke engines were recently marketed by the various manufacturers who were previously marketing two stroke engines and electric motors. Some leaf blowers with vacuums can also pull in small twigs and leaves and then cut them into pieces for storage in the attached bag.

The leaf blower was invented in Japan in the early 1970s. Originally used by the farmers in the United States as an agricultural sprayer, it was turned into a blower after removing the chemical sprayers from the equipment. The manufacturers immediately seized the opportunity to market this redesigned equipment as a garden maintenance tool among the garden enthusiasts. Many city and municipal administrations in United States banned the leaf blowers because of the noise generated by them.

When buying a leaf blower as an alternative to the back breaking garden cleaning process, consider the various features included in the models.

The size of your garden and whether it has a lot of leaf shedding trees should be the first factor when making a selection. The volume of air output by various models is a major factor when selecting a leaf blower/vac. Weight of the leaf blower should also be taken into consideration. The most important feature should be the vacuum capacity and capability. Check whether they operate in reverse mode to route the leaves in to the built in bag rather than blowing the leaves away. While a gas blower is powerful they make quite a lot of noise when compared to the electric powered leaf blowers and vacuums. Find more info at www.leavesbegone.info

Entry level models of leaf blowers with decent capacity to vacuum the leaves are normally fitted with an electric motor of 1600W capacity. There are options to either suck and shred or blow the leaves. To hold the debris, a collection bag is attached in the back. They are priced around $65.

If you don’t want to be restricted by the length of the electric cable, then you should opt for a leaf blower cum vacuum which uses gas/petrol for its operational energy. Suitable if the garden is large and contains lot of trees. The petrol powered Engines normally have a 29 CC two stroke engine and electronic system to initially ignite the unit. The price is around £250.

A less costly model is the electric powered sweeper/blower with vacuum capacity. With its 200 miles per hour airflow, this powerful tool is suitable for most gardens. The ease of use and the accessories, such as shoulder strap and collection bag are some of the good features of this model which costs around £100.

By Lucy Bartlett

Lucy Bartlett is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Leaf Blowers and Vacs or Gas Leaf Blowers and Vacs

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucy_Bartlett
http://EzineArticles.com/?Leaf-Blower-and-Vacuum---A-First-Time-Buyers-Guide&id=249457

Technorati Tags: a, first time buyers guide, garden blower, garden vac, gas leaf blower, leaf blower, leaf blower and vacuum a first time buyers guide, Leaf Blowers, leaf vac, Leaf Vacuum