Let’s be honest here, leaf blowers may seem easy to handle at first but when you use them without any knowledge whatsoever, leaves might even scatter more instead of removing them. I myself have experienced this and it was definitely a frustrating encounter.
Although I thought that I would just learn how to use it properly after just a few days, that simply didn’t happen because I did not know that using a leaf blower requires a strategy.
Aside from the fact that I did not want fallen leaves to rot in my soil, the main reason why I decided to use a leaf blower was to remove leaves that were scattered around in the garden. I bet that is also the reason behind why you want to purchase and learn how to use a leaf blower too!
Not long after my repetitive mistakes, I tried analyzing what I was doing wrong, and after some contemplation, I was finally able to learn how to use a leaf blower properly. To prevent you from making the same mistakes as I did, here are the correct ways on how to use a leaf blower.
5 Steps On How To Use A Leaf Blower
1) Wear Proper Attire
The famous phrase, “Safety First!” definitely applies when using a leaf blower. When removing leaves around your garden or soil, I strongly suggest that you wear eye and ear protection as you work on that because debris can easily get into your eyes as you are using the leaf blower (e.g., small sticks, rocks, leaves, etc.)
The reason why I recommend wearing ear protection is because of the loud sound that leaf blowers produce, which is the common reason why your neighbors don’t like you. Kidding aside, it is without a doubt that leaf blowers tend to be very loud, so do wear ear protection when you are using a leaf blower to avoid damaging your hearing.
After successfully removing the unwanted leaves in your area, you can then proceed with tilling your soil.
2) Choose The Right Leaf Blower
When it comes to what type of leaf blower you should get, there are several factors you should consider first before making a purchase decision. For starters, the power motor of the leaf blower you are going to choose should be able to clear out the size and shape of your garden.
Furthermore, you should also consider how many leaves drop in your garden or area in a season, especially during the fall season. In terms of small areas or yards with only light leaf accumulation, you can easily get the job done with a less powerful motor, even those corded leaf blowers can do the job perfectly for such situations.
For medium to large gardens, I would suggest investing in leaf blowers with more power to effectively remove large piles of leaves. However, more power means that it may be hard to handle.
3) Have A Strategy
As mentioned, to effectively use a leaf blower, one must have a strategy first. In my case, I start with gathering the leaves in bulk to large piles. However, there may be some leaves left off the lawn, but you can easily rake or pick up the very few leaves left on your lawn.
Don’t expect to remove everything with just one blow, because that will only frustrate you. You can deal with the few leaves left after you are done with the majority.
Leaf blowers commonly have a vacuum mode wherein it is suitable for small and less accessible jobs wherein a gardening rake would be difficult or impossible to use. The vacuum mode is great for removing leaves that are trapped in rocks or tight spots in your area. You can safely remove dead leaves from your garden-raised beds or container garden as well.
4) Time The Weather
Timing the weather is definitely a huge factor you should consider. You should not use a leaf blower when winds are strong because that will only create a conflict between your leaf blower and the strong winds. You can also use the wind as an advantage if you want to blow it in the direction where the wind is also flowing. Doing anything otherwise is simply not effective or counter-productive.
Another thing you should consider in terms of the weather is waiting for the leaves to completely dry. Wet leaves can easily stick to your soil, which makes them hard to remove.
5) Gather The Leaves
To begin with, you should plan where you want your leaves to land. I strongly suggest you position a tarp in a spot where you want the leaves to end up. This is for you to easily dispose of the leaves after you are done. If you are trying to blow the leaves directly to a composting area, you may do so but it should be in sections in order to not scatter it.
Moreover, blowing the leaves in one direction is also an effective method to removing them because this will prevent the leaves from blowing into an area you have already cleaned.
When it comes to positioning, you must hold the blower to your side and point the front end of it to the ground with a shallow angle. You can also use a back-and-forth strategy by walking slowly while the leaf blower does its work.
What Should You Do With The Leaves?
1) Use It As Compost
The leaves you have collected can be used as compost, which makes the soil loose and enables it to retain more moisture. This is a great and effective way to add nutrients to your soil. This is the reason why I do not just dispose of the leaves in my garden because I use them as compost for my plants!
2) Use It As Mulch
Moreover, when it comes to mulching your plants with leaves, they are the most common material that is used for mulch. If you have plenty of leaves being blown away, you can use them to create mulch. This saves you money as well since you no longer have to purchase mulch from garden centers.
Although mulches from garden centers are high quality, this method is just as effective and it is free! So, if you were planning on purchasing mulch, now you know that fallen leaves from your garden can be used as mulch too!
3) Use It As Fertilizer
Putting dead leaves into good use by using them as fertilizers is also a great way to boost your plant’s growth! However, leaves alone will be difficult to compost alone. Furthermore, it might need extra nitrogen and you can apply additional nitrogen to the leaves you have collected by adding a commercial fertilizer or any materials that are high in nitrogen like grass clippings.
Final Thoughts On How To Use A Leaf Blower
Now that you know what type of leaf blower to choose and how to use it, you can immediately start trying the methods above. If you want to modify the strategies mentioned, you may do so but make sure that you set these techniques as your foundation because I can guarantee you that all of these were tested and proven effective.
If you have any tips or strategies that you want to share with us about how to use a leaf blower, comment them down below! Also, if you have any questions or clarifications, don’t hesitate to ask. Happy gardening!
