weed whacking ground cover in fall

Question

What would happen if all the ground cover was cut low in the fall? We have many trees and it’s hard to rake in the ground cover

Answer 1

If you don’t know the name of your groundcovers, please post pictures. We’ll try to provide an ID. Some are tough as nails and withstand abuse; others will not respond well to being hacked up. Few, if any, plants will respond well to this treatment every fall. Can you set a mower on “high” and mow over the leaves? The chopping action of the blade will allow the leaves to break down quickly and “compost in place” with less damage to the groundcover. Some people use leaf blowers on a dry day. There are special rakes with blunt, plastic tips that catch less on groundcovers but which can scoop the leaves out. (They are also used for raking under and between shrubs.)