There’s no denying that leaves which drop in the fall can make great compost, but how well would they work as a fertilizer? I always figured that if a tree didn’t like leaves on its feet, it wouldn’t put them there. Weeds are full of nutrients they have absorbed from your soil so it is only fitting to extract the water soluble ones and return them to your garden plants. In the woods and fields, leaves fall, get compressed by snow and ice over the winter, and begin to decompose the following spring. For those wanting a foliar spray (meaning the product is applied directly to a plant’s leaves) as well as a soil fertilizer, check out Botanicare’s HGC732110 Cal-Mag Plus Plant Supplement. I’d be more concerned with the lawn care companies spraying chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. (Hey – if she is going to all this trouble just to have leaves, maybe I should keep them). For more information on autumn leaf management options, go to the following section of my website, http://www.tlehcs.com/Special%20Topics/Leaves%20Arent%20Trash/lat%20introduction.htm. The first is to simply allow leaves to remain on the ground, decaying naturally into leaf mold. I figure the more organic material I can get into my poor soil, the happier my plants and grass will be. Personally I just run over my fallen leaves with a mulching lawn mower which makes them nicely disappear into the grass/soil and it recycles the nutrients. I’m so glad to see this, and I hope you might talk, er, write about this some more in the future. If the fall of leaves is particularly thick, the gardener may want to rake the leaves to spread them evenly or remove part of the layer of leaves for composting. Instead, just mulch them with your lawn mower and feed your lawn with a nitrogen-rich lawn fertilizer like Scotts® Turf Builder® Winterguard® Fall Lawn Food. Use dead leaves to fertilize and protect plants In fall, when trees and shrubs lose their foliage, a thick blanket of useful dead leaves forms in the garden. 10 Ways To Go Plastic Free We use these leaves in our compost bins, we scatter them on eroding hillsides and we use them as mulch around trees and in some of our garden beds. The first step in using dead leaves in the garden is to use them as mulch. Ray, in terms of the effects of the leaves it has to do with additional nitrogen and phosphorus getting into the water. Neither are good ideas. There is some science on this, from Michigan State I believe. I told her I used my mulching mower earlier this week to finely chop the leaves (lots and lots) on my lawn. IIRC, phosphorus is culprit here. It said that an extract from Moringa leaves seemed to stimulate the growth of plants. 620 There are a few trees to avoid all together. The only reason I would consider not doing this is if I had a diseased tree that might spread disease through fallen leaves. I wish more people dealt with their fallen leaves in a more environmentally sound way. We had a leaf shredder that was a giant funnel with a string trimmer mechanism at the bottom that sat on top of a wheelbarrow or garbage can. Turf of course is more nutrient-hungry, but I don’t think we fertilized it either. Research on the biology of leaf decomposition has shown that the specific strains of fungi needed to start the rotting process are on the leaves before they fall from the trees. “Recently a new benefit of Moringa was suggested: the leaves seem to contain a substance that stimulates plant growth and increases crop production. The only lawn that I truly loved and enjoyed and rarely had to do anything to it but mow. It is always fun to have some quantitative information to back up practices you’ve already been doing. Organic fertilizer, otherwise known as compost, can be generated in two ways. And if they have nutrients couldn’t those be used for fertilizer instead of the regular fertilizers which we use? Dead leaves can also become an ingredient in a good compost, which is better than chemical fertilizer. When it comes to flower and vegetable gardens, gardeners must follow a specific set of guidelines for site, soil and nutrition. Science proves what many would call plain old common sense. At 1% nitrogen, the leaves would provide enough nitrogen for the grass, but that would probably end up being a moot point because the leaves would have a good chance of smothering the grass. Then spread the chopped leaves as mulch in flower, vegetable and shrub beds and around trees. Gerson D. Dumpasan SSC-STE Administrator Panabo National High School Aubrey A. Montegrande Researcher SY 2014 – 2015 Abstract This study entitled the Kakawate/Madre Cacao (Gliricidia … As long as your bamboo trees are shedding leaves, you have a continuous supply of fertilizer for your mulch. The leaves from walnut and eucalyptus contain toxins that can harm plants, and prevent some seed crops from germinating. I’d like to understand more about the science behind the polluting aspects of the leaves lying in curbs before pickup. Always water your plant using tea. -A sustainable source of fertilizer. Leaving your leaves where they fall is not a good way to fertilize your lawn. At our Community Garden we beg our gardeners, if you MUST bag your leaves – bring them to us! with thatch, at least that I know of, so I kind of shrugged it off. If you are using a leaf blower to gather them it not only pollutes with exhaust but also with extremely annoying sound. Nutrient runoff changes that. Most notably walnut, eucalyptus and horse chestnut trees. The first step in using dead leaves in the garden is to use them as mulch. There also is something different between fresh water lakes and salt water estuaries, like the Chesapeake Bay, in terms of natural nutrient deficiency that keeps algae blooms in check. In a heavily wooded lot it wouldn’t be odd to have around 100 pounds of leaves fall in a 1,000 square foot area. Alan, I don’t like gas-powered lawn equipment either. When using tea bags as fertilizer, either in the compost bin or directly around plants, first attempt to identify if the bag itself is compostable– 20 to 30 percent may be composed of polypropylene, which will not decompose. If you have the signs of low microbial numbers such as thatch build up it might be good to clean out the build up and compost it. Once teabags or leaves are placed in a compost pile, they are consumed by earthworms which then process the leaves, resulting in nutrient-rich fertilizer output. Val — I haven’t actually seen much research on black walnut in compost, but from reports I believe that black walnut would need to be composted for quite a while before it could be used for anything. For the purposes of this post I’m going to stick with nitrogen. She was concerned about thatch accumulating from this “lazy habit” of mine. It was well-colonized with violets, thyme, primroses, etc. I find it funny that this calendar implies that leaves are pollutants. Compost nourishes plants, preserves moisture in the soil, helps spread fertilizer, facilitates weeding, attracts worms and helps prevent diseases. No need for a leaf blower. Also thanks to whoever removed my double post for me–how embarrassing! Mow and blow, mow and blow at least once a week during growing season and then blow the leaves off the lawn once or twice a week with the most powerful blowers available when it stops growing until first snow. All Rights Reserved. In terms of phosphorus, fallen leaves tend to have around 0.1%, though once again, it’s very variable. One example of an excellent plant for liquid plant fertilizers is comfrey. The cover not only balances extreme cold or heat conditions like a quilt does It doesn’t mean you can’t use oak leaves in your pile, but keep it to less than 20% of the make-up to avoid issues. I was talking to a fellow newbie Master Gardener yesterday evening. Where I work as a groundskeeper, I also mulch mow and leave the chopped up leaves on the lawn. Jeff, that’s kind of what we did in Buffalo with all of our maple and oak leaves. Fallen leaves are very variable in nutrient content. Check out http://www.leaveleavesalone.org. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), The contrarian rosarian–debunking rose mythology, Why seasonal climate forecasts aren’t always accurate, Houseplant Hubub: The rage about variegation. Tools, tips, and terrible traditions for raised beds – Part 2, http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/improve-soil-rake-less.aspx?nterms=74874, http://www.tlehcs.com/Special%20Topics/Leaves%20Arent%20Trash/lat%20introduction.htm, http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-521/430-521_pdf.pdf. Why Fresh is Best—when it comes to mulch? Thatch is a sign of sick soil where microbial numbers have been decreased by using soil amendments that set back these soil building armies. The idea that compost tea will be useful to get rid of thatch isn’t realistic — if the ground can handle the proper microbes then they’ll be there. This is close to half the nutritious value of younger tea leaves. Tea is also slightly acidic so it is especially great for acid loving plants such as Hydrangeas, Roses, Tomatoes, and Peppers. If it can’t then they won’t. There is much more to these leaves – they provide excellent cover for our soil – for the soil needs a covering like any other living entity. For the best result feed the leaves through a chopper over and over again until they are ground down to small particles. Comfrey Tea. Some leaves have 1% nitrogen, and some can have almost 3% (these are mostly from leguminous trees). Yesterday I happened to see a garden calendar encouraging people to pick up their leaves so that they don’t pollute streams and lakes by encouraging algae to grow. When the leaves break down, mix them into the top 2 to 3 inches of soil in the garden to fertilize the soil and add organic matter. It’s a very sustainable and eco-friendly choice. Leaf mold can be used as a fertilizer, a side dressing or even a potting soil. and there’s a podcast also…. I do rake my leaves, but I immediately pile them up around shrubs for mulch — no chopping, shredding, or composting needed. So I use an electric lawn mower to both cut my grass and shred the leaves. Where it is unacceptable to have leaves I put the bagger on the mower, drop the mower height if needed, and can mow leaves right up off paved surfaces. They also make your property stink in the Spring. If you want speed, and most of us do, the fastest way to turn leaves into a well usable organic fertilizer involves chopping the leaves. I went to a talk by an Epimedium grower a few months ago and they blow the leaves off the beds, mow them, and then blow them back into the beds. I just mowed my lawn – Nov 10 – to take care of the last of the aspen leaves from the weed tree behind me. This was a good idea, I thought, but then I started to wonder whether leaves on the lawn might not be a better idea? healthy soil will break down matter such as thatch and chopped leaves. of soil. Turn Autumn Tree Leaves Into Compost, Mulch, And Organic Fertilizer By Todd Heft / November 11, 2011 December 1, 2020 / Composting / Garden Mulch , Organic Garden Fertilizer , Soil Conditioning Every Autumn, I see piles of tree leaves waiting for city trucks to come along and suck them up, to be carried off to the municipal compost pile. Comfrey Fertilizer and Mulch. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The problem with shredding leaves is that it is another petro powered activity. Not all the leaves in my yard get shredded, though if I had the time I'd probably do so. Tea waste can be used as a fertilizer for plants whether it is placed indoor and also outdoor. Advocates for leaf mulching mulch leaves on hard surfaces and blow them onto flower beds, or blow leaves off hard surface onto lawns and mulch them there. Yard waste like leaves, grass clippings, straw and old foliage are also valuable in home compost piles. Our town does not have a recycling program for leaves, so I’m just saving them from the landfill and giving myself lots of free goodies for the lawn and garden. Jeff has touched on it with his phosphorus and fertilizer posts in the past, but I’d like to understand better from the algae’s growth point of view. Just spread the leaves around the edges of plant roots and then bury them with 2 inches (5 cm.) Tea leaves are good for more than just brewing tea: They're also a source of nitrogen for your garden soil. Since plant leaves tend to absorb more nutrients faster than roots, foliar feeding is an efficient way to fertilize. Five ways to turn fallen leaves into free fertilizer for your garden. An important aspect of any garden is using organic mulch like grass clippings and leaves to both mulch and mix the soil. When the leaves break down, mix them into the top 2 to 3 inches of soil in the garden to fertilize the soil and add organic matter. But we put the shredded leaves on the garden beds to protect the plants – about 4″ thick. In terms of phosphorus, fallen leaves tend to have around 0.1%, though once again, it’s very variable. Leaf mold: Because comfrey leaves decompose into a liquid, they cannot be used alone, to make leaf mold. I am often asked about speeding up the leaf composting process by adding either fertilizer, as a nitrogen source, or a microbial compost starter. Leaves causing pollution? And truth is, I do “steal” as much as my Volvo station wagon (affectionally known as the Volvo truck) will hold. I would not want to live in a wealthy neighborhood- trying to maintain a pristine lawn is a horrendously loud and obnoxious pursuit in these places. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Whether you apply them as mulch or compost used tea … Research on the healthy growth of trees has shown that the best fertilizer and amendments for these plants is their leaves.
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