Raked a huge yard in Boise, think I prefer dead leaves now

Ngl, I did a 2 acre cleanup out near Boise last weekend and the homeowner asked me to blow every pine needle off his lawn. I told him that's bad for the soil and the trees, but he insisted. Three hours on my knees raking needles that will just fall again next week. The roots love that mat, it keeps moisture and breaks down slow. I get the tidy look, but is anyone else seeing this trend of stripping every bit of natural mulch? Are we really helping these trees or just hurting them for curb appeal?

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hernandez.morgan24d ago

Sounds like the guy wanted a golf course, not a yard. Raking every needle is just fighting nature and wasting your time. That mat is doing more work than people realize, keeping the soil from drying out in that Idaho sun. Curb appeal dont mean squat if the tree starts dropping limbs from stress in a few years.