Believe it or not, there is SO MUCH you can do with the fallen leaves in your yard.
This is nature’s way of providing the soil and grass the needed nutrients it needs to maintain a healthy balance or biome throughout the year. Providing your soil with rich organic matter is just like providing your body with the healthy food it needs to stay fueled properly. Take a look at some of the great ways you can utilize those “pesky” leaves to improve your lawn and garden.
Here are 4 great options for fallen leaves
1. Leaves Make Great Compost
As a great way to give back to the earth, composting can be as big or as little as you want. An easy way to start is to simply pile your fallen leaves on top of each other in a particular (but out of the way) spot in your back yard. You can also throw grass clippings in with the leaves for added material. Sort through the pile ever so often allowing for air to accelerate the progress and keep damp with a good spray of water throughout the fall and winter months. As these materials start to break down over time, the heavy nutrients like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are put back into the soil once you scatter your new compost material throughout your lawn in garden. The great thing about composting is that it can be done any time of year.
2. Leaves Make Great Mulch
If you fancy a vegetable or herb garden, then you’ll want to ensure you maintain it properly with good soil and eliminate those determined weeds. Adding fallen leaves to your garden helps your soil retain really great moisture and provides a barrier against weeds. Depending on the size of your leaves, you’ll want to make sure you chop or crumble them up into smaller sizes for best results.
3. Leaves Can Be Mowed Over
If your lawn needs nutrients, then a great source is through fallen leaves. Since they provide an array of minerals, they are a convenient option to use when mowing your lawn. By simply mowing once a week and breaking up all the fallen leaves in the process, the soil and grass can absorb the nutrients much easier. Mowing over your leaves throughout the fall and winter months will help jumpstart your lawn’s look and health by spring.
4. Leaves Provide Protection
While winters in Florida are generally mild, temperatures can sometimes be quite cold for periods of time. Fallen leaves provide shelter and protection for certain wildlife that are crucial to our ecosystem. Bees, butterflies, snails and many other valuable pollinators seek refuge sometimes just a few inches underground and when added leaves are above them, then an added layer of insulation is provided. For all the wonderful things these pollinators give to us and the environment, it’s a nice way to give back to them when they need it. An easy way to help is creating a few piles and allowing them to break down naturally. That’s it! No need to shred or crumble the leaves at all. Once the piles are broken down, then spread over your garden beds accordingly. If leaves naturally fall into your flower or garden beds, leave them there! Once spring rolls in, your flowers and vegetables will be ahead of the game with nature’s fertilizer!
Hopefully you see the beauty in what mother nature provides to the earth every year. Whether you’re just starting out or have collected leaves for decades, our planet will thank you! Not to mention it’s a FREE fertilizer source and you can’t beat that!
My Three Sons CC, Inc is an Orlando local family owned and operated lawn care service company trusted by its loyal customers for over 28 years. If you need assistance with your lawn care in the Central Florida area, contact us at mythreesonsccinc@gmail.com.
407-309-0000