Leaf blowers

[Mike4]

Having two large beeches, an ash, a cherry and a may tree in my garden, this year I've decided I need a leaf blower.

So never having even used one let alone owned one, and having looked on line and thoroughly confused myself, I decided to ask the board "What do I need, please?"

Ideally I'd like the power of a petrol one but without the mucking about with petrol, and the portability of a battery one but not have yet another charger added to the long row of them in the shed.

Oh and there's a small horse chestnut too.

Many thanks!

[Dod101]

I hate leaf blowers. They are noisy useless things. What is wrong with a rake? It will remove the leaves at least as efficiently as any leaf blower. My grass is currently covered in leaves but it is too wet for me to do anything about it at the moment.

Please, you do not need a leaf blower.

Dod

[Sobraon]

I have had a petrol one for many years, but what happens is I get the corded electric blower out with vac and 'chop function' so the leaves get chopped up quite finely in a bag - this means they compost down quickly.

Two stroke garden tools which only get used a few times in a year are in my experience more trouble than they are worth, so you have to go for an expensive brand (Stihl for example) if you want reliable occasional use petrol power.

The electric one I got a couple of years ago is a cheap and cheerful model (from B and Q) which means I have to make sure its clean and lubricated after each use but at less than a twelfth of the price of a blower only Stihl petrol model its good value.

[mc2fool]

What is wrong with a rake?

It doesn't work in flower beds (unless you want to rake your plants too), and it doesn't shred the leaves (making decomposition on the mulch pile much faster).

I've got around the same number of trees as the OP and I've got one of these, which I'm happy with for the price. https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/whats-hot/leaf-blower

[Allitnil]

We've got 30 odd trees in the garden so I spend a lot of time clearing leaves at this time of year! I do have a corded blower / vacuum but it's a couple of years since I last used it. It works really well at chopping the leaves of beech, birch etc into small pieces as long as they are not very wet but struggles with larger leaves such as lime or, a large leafed quercus we have and any leaves with stalks as they quickly clog it up. I also dislike wearing the necessary ear protectors - not helped by needing to be aware of any horse riders on the lane as I wouldn't want to start up the blower just as they were passing.

I've now got a Bosch cordless mower which works well at picking up leaves so mostly use that (works well on non-grass paths & the tarmac drive). It doesn't chop the leaves as well as the vacuum but it never clogs up so it's much quicker to use. I lightly rake leaves off beds with a plastic rake if they are swamping low plants but otherwise let them stay so they can act as a natural mulch over the winter and provide refuge for insects etc.

[scrumpyjack]

I've been through all the types, petrol, mains electric and battery, though mainly not used for pushing leaves about but for other tasks (eg cleaning the big mower - it's brilliant for blowing out all the wet grass from the cutter units etc).

A corded electric one is best. It has plenty of power. The petrol one was messy and smelly and because it wasn't used frequently, temperamental to start. The cordless one has not got much power so it will only clear dry grass cuttings, not wet ones.

ps if you are having a bonfire, they are brilliant at getting it going again, a couple of seconds blowing at the base and it all goes up in flames again

[Dod101]

What is wrong with a rake?

It doesn't work in flower beds (unless you want to rake your plants too), and it doesn't shred the leaves (making decomposition on the mulch pile much faster).

I've got around the same number of trees as the OP and I've got one of these, which I'm happy with for the price. https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/whats-hot/leaf-blower

I do not have flower beds under my trees so that is not a problem for me. My main objection is the unholy noise they make. I can quite see though that they could be very useful if used as a vacuum cum shredder. The op though mentioned that he wanted a leaf blower and that is what I was replying to. The wind is a perfectly good blower of leaves.

Dod

[Lootman]

What is wrong with a rake?

It doesn't work in flower beds (unless you want to rake your plants too), and it doesn't shred the leaves (making decomposition on the mulch pile much faster).

I've got around the same number of trees as the OP and I've got one of these, which I'm happy with for the price. https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/whats-hot/leaf-blower

I do not have flower beds under my trees so that is not a problem for me. My main objection is the unholy noise they make. I can quite see though that they could be very useful if used as a vacuum cum shredder. The op though mentioned that he wanted a leaf blower and that is what I was replying to. The wind is a perfectly good blower of leaves.

Yes but the wind is the reason why it doesn't so much matter where your trees and flowers are, or even how many trees you have. The leaves get everywhere, including from your neighbour's trees as well.

I have a cordless blower/sucker and it works for my modestly-sized back garden. In the back I suck, bag and compost. At the front I just blow the leaves out into the street. It's not litter if it rots.

Electric blowers are not too noisy; the problem with the petrol ones is not just the noise but the smell from those ratty two-stroke motors.

[staffordian]

I bought a cheap corded electric model from Aldi well over a decade ago.

I think it was around £30, and I assumed if I got a couple of years use out of it then it would be fine and give me an idea of whether a blower was a worthwhile bit of kit.

It still gets brought out a few times every year and (famous last words?) is still going strong, albeit with a couple of splits repaired with Gorilla tape where over enthusiastic sucking resulted in stones being digested.

So I'd heartily recommend one of these assuming Aldi decide to stock them again.

I assume most realise they suck and blow, despite being called blowers, and chop when sucking, as others have mentioned. I find blowing handy on borders and lawns to attempt to concentrate them into piles, though I often find this harder than trying to herd cats. Then some max power sucking to clear them.

I have several areas of gravel and small stones, and this can be a bit problematic. Blowing too hard shifts the stones, and sucking is a balancing act, using enough power (via the rotary thumb control) to ensure the leaves disappear but the stones remain, so ensure you get one with easy power control if you have mixed surfaces.

[Dod101]

It doesn't work in flower beds (unless you want to rake your plants too), and it doesn't shred the leaves (making decomposition on the mulch pile much faster).

I've got around the same number of trees as the OP and I've got one of these, which I'm happy with for the price. https://www.vonhaus.com/vh_en/whats-hot/leaf-blower

I do not have flower beds under my trees so that is not a problem for me. My main objection is the unholy noise they make. I can quite see though that they could be very useful if used as a vacuum cum shredder. The op though mentioned that he wanted a leaf blower and that is what I was replying to. The wind is a perfectly good blower of leaves.

Yes but the wind is the reason why it doesn't so much matter where your trees and flowers are, or even how many trees you have. The leaves get everywhere, including from your neighbour's trees as well.

I have a cordless blower/sucker and it works for my modestly-sized back garden. In the back I suck, bag and compost. At the front I just blow the leaves out into the street. It's not litter if it rots.

Electric blowers are not too noisy; the problem with the petrol ones is not just the noise but the smell from those ratty two-stroke motors.

I guess that is the point. I take offence at the ones I see being used on our local golf course. They are all petrol and the racket is quite something. They use them to blow the greens and tees clear of leaves etc and nothing more than that. I have about 800 sq metres of grass which currently is covered in wet leaves and it takes quite a lot of effort to clear it. I use a rake and bag the stuff and take it to the local skip but maybe i should look at something which would shred it but the leaves are not particularly good for composting and I do not think.

Dod

[ReformedCharacter]

I use a rake and bag the stuff and take it to the local skip but maybe i should look at something which would shred it but the leaves are not particularly good for composting and I do not think.

Dod

A few leaves in your compost is good, it adds carbon to the mix which helps the composting process. However the bugs that break down compost do not thrive in a pile or bag of leaves which depend more on fungi to break down. If you have the time and patience, two or three years if you do not chop the leaves, leafmould is a soil conditioner\mulch\potting compost par excellence. If you have gone to the trouble of bagging it up then all you have to do is leave the bags somewhere that does not offend the eye, having made a few holes in the bags - black bin bags work well - and wait. I think you would be pleased with the results.

RC

[mc2fool]

Useful article from the RHS on Leafmould at https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=478

I go the circle of chicken wire route, with the circle starting around 10 foot across and the pile peaking at 4-5ft in the middle. I wet it if there's a dry spell and a couple of times in the year I'll turn it, taking the opportunity to make the circle smaller when I do. Now, 10-11 months later I have a circle around 6ft across and 9 inches deep of pretty good organic soil. I do shred the leaves.

[Lanark]

The First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Leaf Blowers
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/opin ... sions.html
But the gasoline-powered leaf blower exists in a category of environmental hell all its own, spewing pollutants — carbon monoxide, smog-forming nitrous oxides, carcinogenic hydrocarbons — into the atmosphere at a literally breathtaking rate.

This particular environmental catastrophe is not news. A 2011 study by Edmunds found that a two-stroke gasoline-powered leaf blower spewed out more pollution than a 6,200-pound Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck. Jason Kavanagh, the engineering editor at Edmunds at the time, noted that “hydrocarbon emissions from a half-hour of yard work with the two-stroke leaf blower are about the same as a 3,900-mile drive from Texas to Alaska in a Raptor.”

[Imbiber]

My son has lots of leaves to deal with, he has one of these

https://www.toolden.co.uk/gardening/lea ... jwEALw_wcB.

Four Stoke, quiet, powerful and a joy toy use.

[mc2fool]

My son has lots of leaves to deal with, he has one of these

https://www.toolden.co.uk/gardening/lea ... jwEALw_wcB.

Four Stoke, quiet, powerful and a joy toy use.

Joy toy use? What exactly does he do with it?!?

[Imbiber]

[Mike4]

Thanks for the massive response and advice, chaps and chapesses. (Did I leave anyone out?)

My garden is a fairy garden on a steep slope, full of large shrubs, trees, secret paths, sheds, outbuildings, patio areas and gravel. No grass anywhere. It's not posh or smart, I like the term 'vernacular' to describe it.

I had no idea the mains ones sucked and chopped as well as blew, but I'm concerned about all the stones wrecking it. I also like the idea of a four-stroke leaf blower, fsr more civilised than anything two stroke. The thatchers who have just re-done my roof used a lovely quiet petrol blower to tidy up the phenomenal mess constantly, I think it might have been that Makita.

I do tend to buy cheap to learn, then buy right, so I can see me getting a £30 Aldi mains one to start with, then getting the Makita.

Many thanks all, recs all around.