Summer has officially ended, and we welcome Autumn with crisp and foggy mornings, on your walks you may notice the trees are displaying a wide spectrum of colours before they start to lose their leaves over the coming weeks.
While piles of crunchy leaves are great fun for the kids (and adults) to jump and kick about they are unsightly in gardens and drives and when wet and slimy they can become a potential slip hazard. In addition, if your lawn is smothered by leaves not only does it block out the sunlight it can promote weed growth and potentially kill your grass.
So, what is best for clearing up is it a brush, rake or a garden blower and vacuum?
Well, if you are looking to save time, have limited mobility or a larger garden then the handheld superior petrol blower-vac from leading British brand Webb would be a great addition to your garden routine. This garden tool will clear garden leaves, hedge and grass clippings with impressive speed with less effort. Blow away difficult to reach twigs and debris from under prickly hedges and switch over to vacuum to suck them up.
Safety first
This garden tool may look fun to use, remember it is a machine so care must be taken.
- Do not let children use a blower-vac.
- Do not use the blower-vac for sucking up large amounts of gravel, cement or construction dust.
- Do not wear loose fitting jackets, scarfs or clothing that could be sucked up by the airflow.
- Do not use a blower-vac inside the house.
- Wear eye protection as blower-vacs can throw up debris.
- Wear ear defenders if using a petrol model.
- Wear a dust mask if required.
- Wear long hair tied back.
- If using a corded electric model be mindful of the corded lead
- Store petrol safely and turn the machine off before refilling.
Don’t throw the leaves away….
When reduced to a fine mulch, spread it over your flower beds and vegetable garden to return the nutrients and help to protect the soil from winter rain.
If you have space in the shed, gather some hessian sacks and fill them with dry leaves to add to next year’s compost. Successful composting is about a balanced mix of green and brown materials, so by having a ready supply of ‘brown’ material to use in the summer will be much easier than ripping up cardboard and paper.
Finally, remember to save any pretty shaped or coloured leaves for arts and crafts, take a look at 44 ideas here for things to do in October half-term.