Happy Housekeeping: Home And Garden Tips

Every year, people spend millions of dollars to purchase commercial fertilizers and mulches for their lawns. Yet at the same time, they rake up the fallen leaves from neighboring trees and put them in the trash! These people need some lawn care tips! Don’t waste your hard-earned dollars – use your fall leaves as a free, natural mulch and fertilizer.

Fall Leaves as Fertilizer

Think about it – the trees around your yard rely on the same soil and water as your garden. They deal with the same type of parasites and infections as your lawn, so many of the tree’s defense mechanisms for these pests will also be found in the leaves. So in this ways, your leaves will be a better match for your lawn than a commercial fertilizer since the trees in your yard have already fought off the same pests.

Of course, if you don’t want to have fall leaves all over your lawn for most of the year, you can pick them up and put them in a composting bin. Over winter, the leaves will break down into rich, organic mulch that you can use on your lawn or garden when spring returns. Whether or not you apply fall leaves as mulch, or let them stay on the lawn, they’ll also provide valuable nutrients for earthworms and other organisms that contribute to the health of your lawn’s ecosystem.

Insulating Your Lawn with Fall Leaves

Even though your grass needs a certain amount of chilling to trigger dormancy and new spring growth, it may also need some protection depending on where you live. Fall leaves are perfect, since they form a thick layer that will protect the surface soil from heavy snow and ice that can damage the roots of your grass plants. These leaves will also help to insulate the eggs and larvae of earthworms and other insects that are beneficial to your lawn.

Environmental Benefits of Leaving Fall Leaves on Your Lawn

Many people utilize burn barrels to dispose of fall leaves, but aside from generating smoke and soot, these burn barrels put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, adding to the growing problem of global warming. In addition, if you accidentally rake up poison ivy along with the leaves, you can spread harmful oils all over your neighborhood.

Other individuals choose to dispose of fall leaves along with their regular trash. Even if you pack as many leaves into a bag as possible, they still take up an enormous amount of room. As a result, these leaves take up space in a landfill that could be used for something else. When landfills can no longer accept trash, new ones must be created which causes another local habitat to be destroyed.

Today, many people want what’s best for the environment as well as their lawns. While fall leaves may be unsightly, they provide a useful and necessary covering for your lawn. In addition, they provide spring lawn care by cycling into the soil, where they will help provide nutrients for your grass. Unless you decide to manually compost fall leaves, disposing of them will only cause further unnecessary environmental damage.