Sweeping leaves on the lawn can be very laborious. However, in the stone bed you cannot even rely on the support of your rake. If the leaves are stuck in the grooves of stones that are close together, the only solution is to remove them manually, right? On this page you will read how to make leaf removal as easy as possible.
How to remove leaves from between stones?
The best way to remove leaves between stones is to use a homemade broom, a rubber rake or a lawnmower on ground level surfaces. Avoid leaf blowers as they destroy the appearance of gravel beds and can impact insect habitats.
Why remove leaves?
Typical plants that thrive in rock gardens are usually very sensitive to moisture. Wet autumn leaves quickly lead to mold formation. There is also an acute risk of slipping on the terrace if the leaves become wet due to precipitation. Of course there is also the optical component. Anyone who has a lovingly landscaped rock garden will of course want to present it. Leaves between the stones significantly reduce the appearance, especially as they sometimes leave ugly brown spots on light-colored walls or boulders.
Leaf removal methods
There are numerous options for removing leaves from the lawn.
- raking leaves
- Pick up leaves
- Sweeping leaves
- Removing leaves with the lawnmower/tractor
But do the tools mentioned also work on stone floors?
Appropriate measures
In order not to damage elaborate arrangements made of pebbles, it is best to use a brushwood broom. You can easily make this yourself:
- Cut some willow canes.
- Tie these around a wooden stick.
- Short the rods to the desired length.
If you don't want to damage the sensitive stones of your terrace, I recommend using a rubber rake (€15.00 on Amazon). This utensil is specially designed for sweeping on stones. What many people don't consider is that removing leaves with a lawn mower on the terrace also works. However, the surface must be at ground level in order not to damage the cutting blades.
Inappropriate measures
However, a leaf blower is only recommended to a limited extent. Especially in gravel beds, you destroy the look by stirring up small stones as well as leaves. In addition, numerous insects live between the stones, whose natural habitat you would destroy.
