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By Dr. Calvin Finch
Leaves are reservoirs of nutrients and
sources of organic material that can be
recycled to your soil. The easiest way to
achieve this recycling is to just let them
decompose where they fall on the lawn.
To speed up the process of decomposition,
run the lawn mower over the leaves on the
lawn. They will disappear in three to six
weeks and the soil will be better for
your effort.
Mulched Beds
If your neatness genes will not permit you
to let leaves lie even for three-to-six weeks,
rake them up. Raking is good exercise and
a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Use
the piles of leaves as mulch for the shrub
border and the gardens. Leaf mulch
reduces water evaporation, keeps the soil
cool, reduces weed pressure and adds
nutrients to the soil. A newly-planted tree
with six inches of mulch over the root
system will grow as much as 40 percent
faster than a tree that has lawn grass
growing up to the trunk. A mulched tree is
also less likely to be damaged by a string
mower because grass is not growing
against the trunk.
Compost Pile
Leaves are basic raw material for the compost
pile. Fill a five-foot circle formed with
four-foot high hog wire with leaves mixed
with a cup of lawn fertilizer every one foot
of depth and wetted every week, and the
material will decompose to compost in
one to two months. Use the compost as
soil conditioner in your vegetable and
flower gardens.
Gifts For Gardeners
If we have still not convinced you that your
leaves are too valuable to bag and be wasted
in the landfill (they waste expensive
landfill space, as well), consider giving the
bagged leaves to a neighbor. Keep them
available long enough to place a note in
your neighborhood newsletter or to ask a
few neighbors if there is anyone they know
that might want them.
Enjoy the autumn leaf color and recycle
your leaves. It makes sense for your landscape
and the environment.
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