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Many tools are effective in helping you remove hedges. While heavy machinery is likely the best option for making quick work of hedge removal, your trusty hand spade shovel is probably the next best. Use a spade shovel to dig around the hedge and break roots as you go with the tool. Your spade is also useful for getting deep underneath the root ball, so you can insert a pry bar to help lift the plant.

Yes, you can conduct your own leaf removal, but consider that keeping up with leaf removal is time-consuming and requires regular yard work throughout the fall. The process can take a few hours a week. Professionals have lawn equipment that can speed up the process and save you time. Additionally, consider how you’ll dispose of the leaves. If your sanitation company won’t pick them up—especially if you have many bags from a once-annual cleanup— you’ll have to drive the bags to the dump. It’s usually easier to leave the work and disposal to a professional leaf removal service.

If you want to take the decomposition process into your hands to speed it up, water and sunlight are key. Of course, you can’t control sunlight yourself, but you can rake leaves into piles in sunny spots in your yard. In terms of using water, you can also moisten the decomposing leaves with water, whether by pouring some from a watering can from time to time or using a hose to moisten them.

There are several ways to decompose yard waste quickly. The first step is to move all debris into a compost bin or pile. From there, microorganisms, bacteria, and insects will break down the yard waste into compost. To speed things up, shred the waste into smaller pieces, add live worms to the pile, or introduce nitrogen-rich compost accelerators like grass clippings, coffee grounds, and manure. Turn the compost over every few days. This process, called aerating, allows oxygen to get in and accelerate decomposition.