Ideas and Tips for Dealing with Fallen Leaves
By Curtis Robert Tyree
Summary:
Looking for ways to get rid of leaves this fall, consider these ideas.
Article:
For a few short days the leaves change color and stay on the trees, turning the landscape into a vibrant tapestry. Then for several weeks youre left cleaning up as that tapestry unravels and covers your yard in a thick layer of leaves. This year, try something new with those leaves; here are some creative ways for dealing with them.
First thing you need to do is to move the leaves, either into piles or places where you can use them. To do this you should consider using a leaf blower, not only does it make life easier by saving time, but allows you to move more leaves at once than you can with a rake. Next you can either: Bag them, have them picked up by the city, use them as bedding or compost them
Your first option is to bag the leaves and have them taken out with the trash. If you choose to do this, try putting the leaves into biodegradable bags; this way the leaves have a chance to break down and you wont leave behind a plastic bag thousands of years from now.
For the next few options it best if you mulch the leaves. The easiest way to do this is with a lawnmower once you have the leaves where you want them. With the leaves mulched, you can either use them as bedding for the grass or any gardens or compost them.
If you choose to use the leaves as a bedding, make sure to leave enough on the ground so that the grass and garden beds are covered, but not so much that it suffocates, even grass and dirt have to breathe. The benefit of this is that it help retains moisture in the ground much longer than if it werent there, and helps the ground accept the moisture of snow more slowly so that it doesnt get saturated all at once: all of this helps come springtime, making your home more beautiful once everything starts growing back.
You can also use mulched leaves for compost, but remember this; leaves dont automatically turn into compost, they have to helped along. You can purchase composting aids at garden supply stores, or you can just simply mix it in with the soil, letting it break down the leaves naturally and more slowly, letting the leaves release its nutrients that way.
Finally, the easiest way to deal with leaves if you live in the city is to see if it picks up leaves; most cities offer leaf removal during the fall. If your city does offer leaf removal, all you have to do is get the leaves to the curb or street side and the city will do the rest, the easiest way is using a leaf blower, of course.
For more information or for other creative ways of dealing with leaves visit, http://lawncare.about.com/od/faq/f/mulchingleaves.htm or http://www.landsteward.org/page.cfm/20706
