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Health & Fitness

Lawn Guy! Stop! I WANT those leaves!

The leaves that fall in your yard are the best mulch going. Sadly, you can’t just dump them all in the flower beds after you rake them up, but with a little effort they can do your gardens a world of good.

 Intact leaves, especially larger and thicker leaves like oak leaves, will mat up, stay wet and take forever to break down. All the good stuff will still happen, but it will be slower. If the leaves are chopped, they will stay light and fluffy, allow air and water to pass through, and break down. And, when they break down, they return to the soil the nutrients taken up by the tree. They also contribute to the health and productivity of your earth worm population.  Earth worms produce castings which are concentrated plant nutrition. There’s nothing better. If you have no earthworms, then you’ve got lifeless soil and we need to have a talk!

Yes, some investment in a device to chop leaves may be required. I have a Flowtron Leaf Eater. Before I bought it, I used to fill a trash barrel with leaves and stick my weed whacker it. Mowing leaves and collecting them in the bag of your mower is a fine strategy as well. Of course, wear protective gear. If you end up at the South County Hospital ER and my sister is giving you that “What were you thinking?” face because you got a flying sharp stick in the eye, well you might just ruin the holidays for me!

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Fallen leaves are nature’s way of paying it forward.  And they’re free, unlike the bark mulch that can cost $30-50 a yard (plus delivery), has been processed somewhere and trucked in (an environmental cost) and may well require a crew of 10 sturdy people to move throughout your yard. It’s a lot harder to over mulch with leaves since they never get heavy and compacted like bark mulch.  Rake up some piles here and there in the yard, shred them on the spot, and toss them into the beds. Happy, healthy landscapes! 

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