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Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:49 pm
by SteveHGraham
Wondering if anyone can advise me on getting rid of live oak leaves.

Back in Miami, we did not have fallen leaves. Not much, anyway. I don't really know what to do with them. After Irma, we had lots of leaves here in Ocala, but I figured they would sort of go away by themselves. It looks like they stay forever, and I think they're killing the grass.

I have a John Deere 430 garden tractor with a 60" deck. Running it over the leaves might have worked if I had gotten out there fast, but now the leaves just sit there.

Is there an implement to get rid of these things? The leaf blower barely moves them.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:46 pm
by Russ Hanscom
Push them into a tall pile and enclose with wire mesh. Water the pile once in awhile and add new leaves as available. It makes a great compost.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:54 pm
by SteveHGraham
But how do I get them to the pile?

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:42 pm
by spro
I'm pretty sure your 430 has a 3-point and either a pto or hydraulic lines for trailering a vacuum/mulching unit. Sure you can use a rake but if it is vacuumed/chipped first, 10 sq ft turns into much less. Then it can be dumped as mulch into a smaller pile.
People use similar attachments with smaller tractors but they need a separate engine to provide the extra vacuum.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 6:58 pm
by SteveHGraham
You mean I don't need a mulcher made specifically for this tractor?

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:39 pm
by spro
Sure. That is possible but investigate what you have there. I haven't gone to the John Deere site or tractordata.com to find the original attachments. I did a craigslist search around central Florida and didn't get a good link for you. "Leaf vac", Leaf mulcher, etc. So many terms for their search engine. The deal is, before they loaded your blades, some slightly mulched could have gone to a bagger but it isn't the same. It isn't the same as huge heavy piles and what your pto is capable to power. We've seen these where the deck does some mulching and the small towing attachment sucks it up and chips it further. Sort of like snow blades and snow blowers, they all disappear in certain seasons.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:58 pm
by warmstrong1955
Disclaimer....I have no oak leaves. Just cottonwood, maple, ash, and olive.
I just snorkel 'em up with the mower deck, into the bagger. Doesn't mulch 'em real fine, but fine enough. Fall is the only time I use the bagger. When I mow the grass, I don't bag the clippings, I mulch it back in when I mow it.
If I wait too long, and the leaves are to deep, I have to go slow to avoid pluggin' up the chute, but that's about the only complication. It chops 'em up enough to keep them from blowing around in 30+ MPH winds.
Dump the leaves in a big heap....and use 'em after they compost a while.

Bill

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:32 pm
by jcfx
Don't know how big an area you have to clear, how about a good old fashioned rake ?

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:27 pm
by SteveHGraham
I would guess I'm looking at 2.5 acres of very slow raking.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:11 am
by jcfx
Yep that's a lot of raking !

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:44 am
by spro
That's not what we thought you were looking for.

Re: Getting Rid of Live Oak Leaves?

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 2:46 pm
by tornitore45
Google dethatching blade.
Run it as high as possible but still able to lift the leaves that do not want to get chopped up by the blade.
Once the leaves are fluffed you can go to plan A and mulch them with the regular blade.