Can I mulch small sticks with riding mower?

I’m in the Southeast U.S. and recently moved into a new home. I’ve been working on clearing out a piled-up area in the corner of my yard, where the top layer of soil is covered by 2–4 inches of leaves and sticks.

What’s the best way to clear or mulch this? Can I run my John Deere S140 over it a few times, or will the sticks damage the mower?

I don’t have any wooded areas—my yard is fully fenced in. I’ve been burning everything that’s easy to pick up by hand. Should I burn all the leaves too, or is there a better way to handle them?

Onyx said:
Run it over.

His hand?!?!

Asher said:

Onyx said:
Run it over.

His hand?!?!

Would make for a great story.

“Pete, what happened to your hand? Well… I read this post off reddit…”

Those tiny twigs won’t hurt your mower.

If you mulch that your yard is going to love it. I mulch that ish every spring, it’s free fertilizer.

It depends on your mower, too, tho.

Absolutely. Mulch it up big dog.

The tiny branches and leaves I’d keep and run over with the mower. Anything approaching a real branch size say > eighth inch or so I’d pick those up first. Up to your local rules for removing yard waste.

@Stevie
I feel like one eighth of an inch is still squarely in mowable territory. I think I would be comfortable up to at least a quarter inch.

Finley said:
@Stevie
I feel like one eighth of an inch is still squarely in mowable territory. I think I would be comfortable up to at least a quarter inch.

1/8 for a push mower, and 1/4 for a riding. I haven’t met a stick that has damaged my blade, only ones too big to get sucked up and chopped nicely.

That glove will be destroyed.

I have a 19hp Troy Bilt and a run over twigs and leaves all the time with no issues. Obviously if you see something too thick like a half inch or more, pick it up. It’s free fertilizer for your grass. I do use some lawn lime, just in case it raises the acidity of the soil, especially after the amount of leaves I mulch in during the fall…ymmv on that front.

I mulch straight up branches. Just learn how to sharpen your blades or replace them every once in a while.

Ray said:
I mulch straight up branches. Just learn how to sharpen your blades or replace them every once in a while.

This. I’m not getting my lazy ass off the mower for anything less than 3/4”. If it’s larger than that and not more than a foot or so long it’s gonna ‘knock the grass off the deck’ for me.

Yes mulch it up. All of it and use it later.

Burn what is easy to pick up, mow the rest. Will it dull the blade? Yes. Most people don’t care. If you care about your lawn, sharpen your blade(s) at the beginning of the season, and about monthly afterwards or as needed if you inspect the mowed blades of grass and see tearing.

Do what is easiest for you. Your machine can handle anything reasonable.

Yes! But remember, your blades need to be replaced or sharpened more often. Watch out for those larger ones as they can become projectiles.

Koa said:
Yes! But remember, your blades need to be replaced or sharpened more often. Watch out for those larger ones as they can become projectiles.

Aim away from your windows and glass doors. Ask me how I know.

Take a photo of your blades before and go for it! Let us know how they look afterwards.

Yes just did it today with my push mower.

The worst that can happen, which I found out the hard way once, is a bigger one jams into a belt and pushes it off or jams it. Just remove it and keep mowing.