Leaves are falling in the garden and snow is about to fall. Do I need to remove the leaves in the fall from lawns and tree trunks? Is it advisable to rake autumn leaves in heaps? What to do with fallen leaves and how to prepare the lawn for winter are the most pressing tasks of gardeners at the current time. Let's look at what garden equipment and tools will facilitate autumn work on the site.
Is it necessary to rake leaves in autumn from lawns and tree trunks? Is it advisable to remove autumn leaves in the garden?
Many people understand that leaf litter is a wonderful food for soil microflora and shelter for wintering beneficial insects, so why remove leaves from the lawn? Very often, novice gardeners who are learning the basics of natural farming cannot reconcile the idea of a constant return of organic matter with the need to clean leaves from the lawn. The bewilderment is further reinforced by the obvious fact that in nature, certainly no one rakes up the leaves and does not carry them from place to place.
And it is necessary to remove leaves from the lawn in autumn due to the fact that under a dense layer of leaf litter, lawn grasses rot and completely rot during the winter. And instead of a smooth silk surface, bald spots appear in spring (sometimes quite large). Well, why such a sadness after so much work on growing a lawn?
Another question is whether it is necessary to rake leaves under apple trees and other fruit trees? Adherents of traditional agricultural practices are likely to answer in the affirmative. Many reference books state that cleaning the foliage in the garden allegedly reduces the population of pests, in addition, it is proposed to dig up and loosen the soil around the trunks ... But along with the pests, our helpers, beneficial insects, are also taken out of the garden. You take a closer look at how many bugs there are in the fallen leaves, it's a whole zoo! Now imagine how many ladybugs are burned annually in summer cottages.
The most reasonable way out is to rake the leaves where the plants can get wet and return them to the near-stem circles of fruit trees, flower beds, berry beds and beds. Foliage is not only a mulch layerthat protects the soil from leaching and weathering, but also an amazing supply of nutrients, which will gradually decompose by soil bacteria and come ready-made to plants. It is these autumn works that are appropriate in the practice of natural farming - there is no need to loosen and dig anything, as well as burn or take it out of the site.
And here tank mixtures will come in handy again, because in the fall they are also useful. You can take the following complex - Alirin-B + Gamair + Fitosporin-M+ tobacco-garlic infusion + Green soap. It is better to spray not only on the collected foliage, but directly on the trees, bushes, beds and flower beds. This tank mixture has a pronounced fungicidal and insecticidal effect.
Autumn rains will then wash away some of the microbes to the ground, and this is also a big plus in the biosecurity of the garden. Low temperatures are not very scary for these drugs (unlike test-tube sissies EM-cultures). Although it does not hurt to add them to the solution if something is left at hand. If you are still too lazy to run with a sprayer, then it is enough to run around the garden with a watering can, spilling leaf litter Phytosporin.
Phew, so we decided what to do with fallen leaves, now we move on to the technical details: when, with what and how to collect fallen leaves?
When can tree leaves be harvested?
If the autumn dragged on, and the foliage from the trees and bushes falls slowly, then you can remove the leaves from the lawn weekly as they accumulate. And if the first snow came (as is usually the case) without warning, don't worry, you'll have to wait for it to come down. There is no point in waving a rake in the snow - lawn grass caught in frost becomes brittle and easily trampled.
Recently, in our south, the first snow has been frequent in October - “global warming”, nothing can be done about it - although from time immemorial everyone celebrated the end of the summer season on November 7th, remember? Of course, by the 20th of October, the trees are just beginning to turn yellow, and they fall under the snow in full uniform. Here you are thinking more, not about how to prepare the lawn for winter, but how to protect the trees from breaking ... In general, the month of preparation for winter in the south of Kazakhstan is slowly shifting to October. So we almost do not differ from the Middle Strip (a joke, but in every joke there is only a fraction of a joke).
most often, a trouble-free rake is used to collect foliage
How to rake leaves from the lawn
How to remove leaves from the lawn also depends on the weather. If it rains or the first snow has just melted, no one has come up with anything smarter than a rake. The unique tool of all times and peoples, fault tolerance of 99.9 percent. In dry weather and a leisurely autumn, you can launch heavy artillery - choose the appropriate equipment for cleaning leaves. Gardeners have two of them in mind - a lawn mower (yes, this is not a mistake) and a garden vacuum cleaner-blower.
With a lawn mower, in general, everything is clear - it can collect tree leaves simply by mowing the lawn. With such a collection of fallen leaves, they are partially ground and mixed with mowed grass, thereby enriching the mulch with a fresh nitrogen supplement and becoming a full-fledged organic fertilizer. The humification processes with the addition of fresh organics are accelerated. Leaves from the lawn are collected with a mower before the first snow in dry weather.
you can collect fallen leaves with a lawn mower
But the garden vacuum cleaner-blower is an unusual animal for our post-Soviet space, so it is advisable to publish, so to speak, reviews on its operation in more detail. Model for analyzing the operation of a garden vacuum cleaner - electric, with a chopper and a bag for collecting leaves (see photo):
This beast with a power of 2 kW, with its bell for collecting leaves, even swallows small gravel, which is not good, it can split a plastic impeller, you need to gain experience
No matter how quickly you can collect leaves with a garden vacuum cleaner, you still have to wander around the garden for more than two hours (with a garden area of 6 acres). That is, for summer residents who swoop down on weekends to visit their sites, there is no such fat in time and never will be. And for owners of private houses, a vacuum cleaner for the garden will help. In his bag-receiver accumulates such a funky crushed leaf, just a feast for the eyes:
this is how a vacuum cleaner with a grinder crumbles leaves
Here is a review with pictures on the operation of a garden vacuum cleaner. The kit also includes a nozzle for blowing off foliage (from alpine hills, curbs and other garden and architectural bells and whistles), but its functionality is less interesting for the current topic, so we will skip its description here and proceed to the disposal of leaf litter within a single garden plot.
What to do with fallen leaves? Examples of the use of fallen leaves at their summer cottage
Now the most interesting thing is how you can use fallen leaves from the point of view of natural farming practice. Well, the first and most important rule is not to take the autumn leaves out of the site and not to burn them! All organic matter must return to the soil, become food for beneficial microbes. Leaf litter as fertilizer contains the whole complex of nutrients, it is very useful.
Foliage pereprevates slowly, only by June microbes will process it, and even then not everywhere, depending on the layer of mulch. If you're not ready for this ground cover design yet, you can drag the foliage into the compost heap. But for plants and soil microflora, this is worse than distribution in the garden - a significant part of nitrogen and carbon is lost. But better than export or burning.
In the flowerbeds, early bulbous flowers quietly make their way out through a rather high layer of foliage, leaf litter does not interfere with them. On the beds, a layer of leaves can still be covered from above with packing cardboard, burlap or other insulation - then soil microbes and worms will digest all this for almost the entire winter. What does not have time to be processed, in the spring, when sowing, you need to carefully rake, freeing the grooves. But such mulch is still not removed from the aisles - by June, the soil inhabitants will take it away without a trace.
It is also advisable to rake autumn leaves in heaps and stuff bags with them, sandwiching them with garden soil. Such a mobile composter is suitable for growing zucchini. This saves space and the foliage is used to good use.
Now you know what to do with fallen leaves, as well as how and why to remove leaves from the lawn in the fall. Depending on the remoteness of your site from the place of residence, you can choose the appropriate equipment and tools for cleaning leaves. And slowly wait for the warm season of the year to take care of the garden with renewed vigor. Good luck to you and good mood in these already long autumn evenings!
It is hardly worth talking again about the outstanding merits prepared on the basis and poultry - such organic fertilizers have no equal. But the luxury of their use without any financial investment can only be afforded by rural residents who keep livestock and poultry on the farm.For "urban" summer residents, the purchase of manure and litter today makes a significant hole in their pocket. Leaf compost is inferior to such fertilizers in nutritional value, but cultivated plants respond well to it and will never refuse such yummy. So why spend money on buying manure if you have free material at hand?
Ripened leaf compost quickly saturates the soil with humic compounds and microelements and effectively restores soil fertility. When embedded in the ground, it perfectly improves its structure: it adds moisture capacity to sandy soil, and air permeability to clay soil.
Not fully decomposed leaf mass (young compost) is an excellent product for mulching vegetable and flower crops. Flowers and vegetables do not suffer from, characteristic of and. Therefore, in this case, foliage can be used to prepare compost even from under diseased garden plantings.
The only drawback of leaf compost is its acidic reaction. When applied to the soil, it will reduce its pH level, therefore, it will require the use of deoxidizers (dolomite flour, lime, chalk, ash, etc.).
The cycle of leaf compost on the site
Depending on the preparation technology and tree species from which the foliage was taken, it will take 1.5-2 years for the leaf compost to fully mature. If you do not help the compost to ripen, then this process will take longer.In order to have such a valuable fertilizer at your fingertips every season, I propose to build 3 compost bins on the site at once. In the first, you will lay another batch of fresh litter every fall. In the second compost bin, at this time, the maturation of last year's mixture of leaves and earth will take place. And the third tray at this point will provide you with fully matured compost.
You can use the contents of the third compost bin in the same autumn to fertilize the beds, or postpone the procedure until spring. Don't over tighten with matured compost, because the third tray needs to be emptied by next summer. It is needed in order to shift the ripening leaf mass from the first "barn" into it. By transferring the contents of the first bin to the empty one, you can move the contents of the second bin to the first.
This "shuffling" of the compost will significantly speed up its maturation. By shoveling the contents of the compost bins, you saturate it with oxygen, which is necessary for beneficial microorganisms and for normal life, and without their help, it will not be possible to prepare fertilizer. Transshipment should be carried out at least 2-3 times per season. The work is laborious, but extremely important.
The lazy option is to make only 1 compost bin. Fill it with leaves and earth, and next season periodically shovel the contents - lay them on the ground and return them back. Next fall, mulch perennials or beds with winter crops with young compost. The ripening of such a semi-finished fertilizer will continue in the new season already "in place". In the same autumn, you can fill the vacated container with a new portion of foliage.
We equip the compost bin
If you do not spare money for your favorite cottage, you can go the easiest way and buy ready-made compost bins. Such devices will save you from unnecessary trouble, and will help you get valuable leaf compost for many years.
In our market there is a very large selection of various devices for this purpose in different price categories. You can choose the appropriate option for your site by looking at the selection.
Unbranded Garden composter 800 l
4 999 RUB
OBI
Unbranded Composter plastic black 600 l
1 999 RUB
OBI
Prosperplast Plastic garden composter with lid 800 l
7 499 RUB
OBI
EVOGREEN Plastic garden composter with lid 630 l
5 999 RUB
OBI
Less prosperous summer residents adapt old barrels, tanks, cast-iron baths and even dense garbage bags with a volume of 200 liters or more. The main rule when using such improvised means is holes in their walls, which will provide air flow to the ripening humus mass. The contents of these containers will also need to be shoveled several times during the season: transferred from one to another or poured onto the ground covered with foil, and then returned back again.
The most time-consuming option is the construction of a stationary compost bin with 3 compartments made of boards, slate, tin and any other materials at hand. Be sure to leave gaps in the walls of such a device or make them from a strong mesh. If you are building a high compost bin, make one side of it collapsible so that you can easily access the contents later.
Leaf compost technology
After leaf fall, collect fallen leaves and lay them in a tray, sprinkling with layers of earth 5-10 cm thick. If the foliage and soil are dry, be sure to spill them with water. Owners can add cut grass to the contents - it will speed up the ripening of humus. It is also permissible to put soft tops of vegetables and without seeds there, as well as kitchen waste of plant origin.
It's great if you have fresh manure or bird droppings at your disposal. Be sure to add these nitrogenous products to the total mass or spill the contents with a solution based on them. An alternative option is a purchased solution (urea, ammonium nitrate, etc.), prepared at the rate of 20-30 g per 10 liters of water.
An excellent effect on the further decomposition of organics will have a solution of the EM preparation. Dilute the concentrate in water according to the instructions, and when laying the organic filling, spill it with a useful solution.
So that in the future you do not have to deacidify the soil in the beds that you fertilize with leaf compost, smooth out the acid reaction immediately. To do this, at the stage of laying organic matter, sprinkle its layers with wood, dolomite flour, slaked lime or chalk.
Over the next season, in addition to regularly shoveling the maturing compost, you will need to periodically moisten it with water. It will be useful to use a solution of mullein, urea, or with which you moisten the contents a couple of times per season. Be sure to take care of the lid on the compost bin if you made one yourself. It will be required to protect the organic mass from drying out in the summer heat and from washing out during the period of prolonged rains.
You can do it easier - cover the top of the compost mass with a dense film and make holes in it for air to enter. And do not forget to collect a handful of earthworms in the garden and run them in a heap. After a short time, they will breed in a nutritious featherbed in huge numbers and accelerate the maturation of the compost.
How to tell if leaf compost is ripe
Fully matured leaf compost is a loose homogeneous mass. In it, you should not find the skeletons of leaves or undecomposed remains of other waste that were laid along with the litter. There will be no earthworms in mature compost: they will leave the compost bin when it runs out of food. A distinctive feature of mature leaf compost is a pleasant "forest" aroma.
In autumn, the time of leaf fall comes and, in connection with this, every autumn, dear gardeners, we are tormented by the same question: how better use fallen leaves?
Collect it or not? Take it out of the site or store it in a compost heap, plant it in beds, bury it away from the garden or burn it?
Collection fallen leaves takes not only a lot of energy from summer residents, but also time. Among us there are many supporters of both leaf harvesting and its opponents.
Proponents of cleaning fallen leaves it is said that it is an excellent place for the wintering of pathogens of many plant diseases, as well as insect pests. In a compost heap, leaf litter cakes and rots very slowly and it will take several years to wait for the “death” of possible pests.
Opponents of harvesting very convincingly prove that the leaves cover the roots of trees from frost and, when decomposed, improve the composition of the soil and its structure, and also that fallen leaves are not only an excellent fertilizer, but also food for earthworms, which are also in the process. their vital activity improve the structure of the soil.
Although, by and large, the question of what to do with fallen leaves in their own garden is up to everyone to decide, but I would like to offer you several options for a fairly rational use of the collected leaves.
leaf humus
Leaf humus can be prepared from fallen leaves, which will serve as an effective tool that can improve the structure of the soil on the site.
There is almost as much nitrogen and phosphorus in leaf humus as in cow dung. In addition, such a tool is an excellent mulch, as well as an ideal acidifier, which is so necessary for acidophilic plants.
For its preparation, it is best to take the litter of deciduous trees available on your site. You can, of course, use conifers, but in this case the process of decay of waste will be slowed down.
You can get good leafy humus in a fairly short time. To do this, in the fall, collect fallen leaves, tamp them well into tight bags, then fill the contents with plenty of water and tie the bags, piercing them in several places for better ventilation.
Leaf humus harvested in autumn can be used as early as next spring when planting fruit and vegetable crops, and it can also be added to compost.
If you have a forest nearby, then you can successfully use the fallen leaves of such trees as: alder, birch, maple.
Alder litter is considered the most valuable. Birch and maple have slightly fewer nutrients.
But fallen aspen leaves (despite the fact that they contain a lot of nutrients) decompose very poorly, as they lay down rather tightly and stick together. They often have to be loosened and, moreover, additionally sprinkled with lime or chalk, due to their acidic reaction.
Oak litter is also very dense and hard, containing a lot of tannins, which do not allow it to overheat quickly and well.
Therefore, aspen and oak litter is best used in small quantities and only mixed with the foliage of other tree species.
Mulching
Fallen leaves can be used as a natural mulch.
To do this, in the fall, it is enough for you to spread the wet foliage over the empty areas of the soil, and with the advent of spring, either rake them, or simply dig them along with the soil.
In this case, leaf litter will protect the soil from weathering, washing out useful substances from it, and also suppress the growth of weeds.
We warm perennials
Dry fallen leaves will serve as a good warming and heat-insulating material with which you can cover hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, roses and other heat-loving shrubs for the winter.
Attract hedgehogs
With the help of fallen leaves, you can attract hedgehogs to your site, which are happy to eat pest larvae.
To do this, simply do not remove the leaves along the fences and around the trees located in remote areas of your garden, so that these animals would like to settle in them.
Add to compost
Shredded fallen leaves can be added to the compost heap, especially if you fill it with a lot of green waste and plant debris in the fall.
In this case, they will play the role of rough "brown" material and balance the share of the latter.
For high beds
If you have high beds, containers or boxes for growing vegetables and berries in your garden, then the fallen leaves can be used as bulk material, which can improve the quality and structure of the soil.
For these purposes, immediately after emptying the beds, either simply pour some pre-shredded fallen leaves into the boxes, or mix the collected litter with green residues, compost and other materials used to fill high beds.
Fill them with chopped fallen leaves.
We make decorative compositions
Agree, fallen leaves look great against the background of dirt paths.
Therefore, if you have a desire to make your garden beautiful and unpretentious, just do not remove the litter.
Well, if you are also a creative person, then you can make an excellent decorative composition from the collected leaves.
In general, dear gardeners, when deciding what to do with fallen leaves, I advise you to proceed from considerations of your own convenience.
See you soon, dear friends!
The fall season will start very soon. The magnificent spectacle of changing colors will be able to amaze any viewer. But, at the same time, it is worth looking at the foliage not only as a beautiful decoration. Think about how leaves can help your garden. If a lot of leaves have fallen in your yard, why not put them to good use?
Eight ways to use autumn leaves
The colorful foliage precedes the time when the leaves will rush to the ground. They will rustle underfoot and give a pleasant smell, the wind will sometimes push them to create crazy dance figures. However, autumn leaves can be considered freely available organic fertilizer lying right in your yard. Most importantly, do not use leaves affected by diseases.
Mulch
Use the leaves as a protective mulch. The leaves are able to form a good thermal insulation cover for the safe wintering of perennial plants or root crops in the ground. The layer of leaves allows garlic to be planted without sprouting and prevents plant tubers from coming out of the soil during freeze and thaw cycles.
Weed control
Use the leaves as an opportunity to control weeds during the spring. Chopped or left whole, the leaves are a great way to make mulch for your vegetables, berries, and ornamental shrubs. Not only do they effectively suppress weeds and help retain soil moisture, but they will also prevent the spread of new weeds.
Compost
Make compost from the leaves to enrich the soil with nitrogen. Alternate a 7-10 cm layer of old leaves with a 2-3 cm layer of fresh grass or other green leaf waste. If you want to speed up decomposition, then grind the leaves.
a photo:leaf compost
Leaf compost is a special kind of leaf compost that some gardeners love. This method of making compost consists of collecting the leaves and storing them in plastic bags or baskets. Keep the leaves moist and let the fungus begin to multiply in this environment. After two or three years, the leaves will decompose into a dark substance containing a large amount of minerals.
crushed leaves
The simplest solution. In the crushed form, the leaves quickly decompose in the spring and add valuable organic matter and minerals to the soil. The leaves are a rich source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and other trace elements that tree roots extract from deep within the soil. Leaves contain twice as much minerals as manure. The vast amount of organic matter they contain can be used to improve soil structure. Humus can lighten heavy clay soils and increase moisture retention in dry, sandy soils. No gardener should miss this opportunity for free soil fertilization.
a photo:Storage of root crops
If you have a cool, damp place, then you can store carrots, beets, and other root vegetables between layers of dry, crispy leaves. Be careful not to let each layer of leaves get too damp.
Make a playground
Where to hide the KEYS from the house: 8 tricky hiding places!
Hiding keys under a rug or in a flower pot is out of date! But the ideas don't end there. Where can you hide the key to the house Even the master of conspiracy will envy these ingenious ideas! …
Many children have a lot of fun jumping into big piles of leaves. Once upon a time, the leaves were very often collected with a rake, forming huge piles, which were then burned. The smell of burnt leaves, winter apples and baked potatoes is sure to evoke your memories. So why don't you give your children and grandchildren the same wonderful holiday.
Every experienced farmer and ordinary gardener is trying to get as much harvest as possible, while spending the minimum amount of money. That is why top dressing of organic origin is so widely used in agricultural technology. In this article, we will tell you how to use fallen leaves as fertilizer.
Every autumn there is such a problem as the disposal of fallen leaves. However, few people know that litter is an excellent organic fertilizer. The composition of the fallen leaves no longer contains nutritional components, however, it contains a large amount of fiber and some trace elements (phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, potassium and iron).
With proper use of foliage, you can improve the structure of the soil, as well as increase the fertility of the land in the garden and garden. Fertilizer from fallen leaves can loosen the ground, as well as saturate it with moisture and oxygen. In addition, earthworms are always found in the humus formed from the foliage. And these are the most welcome guests in the garden and garden.
For the preparation of fertilizer, you can use the leaves of any plants - from the forest, birch, walnut, oak, poplar, tops, etc. The leaves from the walnut have proven themselves very well, but they do not grow in every region of Russia. It is not recommended to take leaves from garden shrubs and fruit trees, since in this case there is a high probability of infection with various plant diseases and damage by harmful insects. However, they can also be adapted to work.
Fallen leaves as fertilizer
Fallen leaves can be used as fertilizer in a variety of ways. We will discuss this in more detail below.
Mulch
This is the easiest way. Typically, leaf mulch is used for ground dressing of fruit trees and berry bushes. The whole procedure goes like this:
- The ground is dug around the tree within a radius of 1 meter.
- After that, about 20 cm of earth is removed. It is necessary to take out the soil very carefully so as not to damage the root system of the trees.
- Add 0.5 kg of chicken manure to the resulting hole, and then fill it with leaves.
- Pour in some water.
- In this form, the dug tree should stand for 3 days, after which the hole must be covered with earth.
Thus, apple, pear, cherry, apricot, plum, walnut, gooseberry, raspberry, etc. are well fertilized.
Compost
Another way to use leaves as fertilizer is compost. It is very easy to prepare, you need to follow only a few rules. The recipe for this is:
- In autumn, dig a hole measuring 1 m by 1 m. The depth should not be more than 1.5 m.
- Gather the leaves and put them in an earthen hole.
- Thoroughly tamp and fill the whole pile with water, then tamp again.
- Cover with soil 20-30 cm thick.
- To speed up the process of leaf decay, you can prepare a solution of nitrogen fertilizer and pour it over the hole.
In the spring, it is fashionable to plant tomatoes, peppers, cabbage and other vegetables in the place of this pit. But in the fall, after harvesting, you need to dig a hole and scatter the resulting compost from rotted leaves throughout the area. If there is some compost left in the earthen pit, then it can be covered with earth and left for the next year.
When preparing compost, keep in mind that leaves are best taken from the forest and away from roads. Near large highways and cities, the soil is harmful, so the foliage may also contain harmful components.
Ash
Infected leaves of shrubs and fruit trees are recommended to be thrown out immediately. However, they can also be used as fertilizer. If there are a lot of infected leaves, collect them in a pile and burn them. After collecting the ashes - it is great for foliar feeding of plants.
The ash is completely safe and nutritious. It is saved in it.
