Don’t Throw Dead Leaves Off Your Lawn (Do It Instead)
Raking the leaves is an annual task that everyone feared, and for good reason it is hard physical work that creates heavier physical work. When you’re done raking, you still need to find a way to get rid of all those leaves.
Except that you don’t have to get rid of them at all. In fact, not worth it. Dead leaves are natural mulch; their entire job is to protect and nurture living plants and the soil on which they grow. Of course, you can check out the foliage and yard waste collection schedule in your municipality, but you can also save up all this foliage for yourself. Here’s how.
Leave the leaves alone
If your yard is covered with dead leaves, chances are there are deciduous trees and / or shrubs around, which means you can probably leave those leaves where they are. As explained in a blog by the National Wildlife Fund in 2014 , the leaves are mostly free mulch. They protect the root system, maintain constant moisture levels and fertilize the soil as it decomposes. In addition, the dead leaf layer effectively prevents weeds from rooting. Why throw it all away?
Of course, a blanket of dead leaves can attract unwanted attention from your HOA before or after the lawn suffocates. In this situation, you have two options: rake the leaves from the main body of your lawn and move them to the beds, or turn them into a suitable mulch.
Grind them up and spread them out
Whole dead leaves are not the most practical form of mulch. They are thick and heavy, but at the same time prone to breakdown and take a very long time to break. But shredded dead leaves are ideal. Smaller pieces decompose faster; Plus, the finer texture spreads easily and is less likely to fly apart, so your mulch stays where you want it.
There are several ways to grind dead leaves. The National Wildlife Fund blog recommends dumping the leaves in a large trash can and using hedge scissors to shred them into smaller pieces; a wheelbarrow or large bucket will probably work as well. You can also use a lawn mower. Bob Vila’s website has a detailed guide to the process, but the secret is to tune your lawnmower to its maximum setting and remove the bag that the trims are going to be in. Walk over the leaves several times until they are about ten cents in size, scoop them up and spread them out where you need them.
If you have leftover food, do not automatically throw it away. Shredded leaves are great for compost, but you can also use them to make even better mulch for the next year.
Make your own leaf shape
Leaf mold is a special type of mulch made from partially decomposed crushed leaves. According to a report in Gardeners.com blog about mold , made his hands , he stands in water up to 500 times the weight, which means that it is perfectly regulates the moisture of the soil. However, you cannot buy it in stores – if you need leaf mold, you have to make it yourself.
Making your own leaf mold isn’t difficult, but it’s a year-round commitment. Aside from shredded leaves, you’ll need to put a bunch of them somewhere for at least a year, plus a tarp or something similar to cover it so it doesn’t dry out. If you have a lot of leaves – at least enough for a pile of six square feet and five feet tall, which is roughly 25 lawn bags, according to Gardeners.com – you can simply pile them separately or in multiple types of fencing. For small catches, try the trash bag method: fill black plastic trash bags with shredded leaves, sprinkle with water, and poke a few holes in the bag to allow air to circulate.
Whichever method you choose, keep the lint nice and moist so that it really bursts. This time next year, you should have all the necessary mulch and know-how to make another batch.