Mulching works well for light leaf litter that doesn’t exceed the mower deck, but thick layers can overwhelm the blades and cause the mower to shut down. To avoid this, mulch regularly as leaves ...

Gravel mulch may help discourage weed seeds in the soil beneath from germinating, but the big issue is wind-borne weed seeds, says Bauer. They can fly in and sprout from fragments of leaf litter ...