How to use fallen leaves wisely: 4 practical ways A good gardener will even last year's leaves are beneficial. If you burned all the fallen leaves in the fall, you will certainly regret it in the spring. True, there are two completely opposite opinions about the advisability of collecting leaves. Opponents of leaf collection believe that pathogens and pests hide in fallen leaves and must be gotten rid of. Others insist that fallen leaves are a valuable addition to the soil, and they also prevent the ground from freezing, and spring shoots begin to develop right under the snow. We will assume that thanks to conscientious care, there are no pests on the leaves in our garden. So what benefits can fallen leaves bring? 1. Leaf humus After collecting the leaves, moisten them, lay them tightly and compact them. There are several options for containers: a special design for leaves, measuring a meter by a meter or more with an open top, or thick polyethylene bags for garden waste, punctured in several places. You can also buy special bags for leaf humus, which are sold at garden centers. Having collected the leaves, place them to ripen in a secluded corner of the site, constantly maintaining high humidity. Young humus will ripen in 0.5 - 1 year, and mature humus can be obtained in 1.5 - 2 years. 2. Mulch Place wet fallen leaves on unoccupied areas of the soil. They will become a natural mulch, preventing the growth of weeds, leaching of minerals from the soil and weathering. Clay soils will not form a hard crust because the mulch does not allow sunlight to pass through. Surface and soil bacteria thrive in the mulch layer and use the green mass of the mulch as an additional source of beneficial nutrients. Also, a layer of organic mulch provides a reservoir for earthworms and similar soil animals that improve soil structure. With the onset of spring, collect the leaves using a rake or simply dig up with soil. 3. Covering material Dry leaves can be used as a heat-insulating material to cover roses for the winter. In the same way, you can cover hydrangeas and other heat-loving shrubs, as well as plants in pots. True, it is recommended to use only leaves of healthy plants and completely dry ones. Otherwise, pests may appear and diseases may begin. 4. Express compost Grind and mix fallen leaves of deciduous trees along with annual weeds. Remove roots, flowers and seeds from weeds. Place everything in plastic compostable bags. Shake the bag occasionally or stir the contents to ensure the compost is evenly distributed. When decomposition is complete, you will have fine, high-quality soil for delicate plants. Keep in mind that the leaves of deciduous trees, such as birch, oak, maple, hazel, and fruit trees, decompose very quickly (less than a year). Evergreen leaves and needles decompose within 3 years, so it is better not to use this material. And if there is nothing else, then to speed up the process, be sure to chop them.

Well, the cold weather has arrived with the first night frosts this fall. Yesterday afternoon we had snow, which immediately melted when it fell on the ground, and nothing reminds us of it today. Meanwhile, there are more and more fallen leaves. September was warm (just like the beginning of October), so the trees were in no hurry to shed their leaves, but literally over the last week there was a lot of them and in about two weeks it will be possible to plan a major cleaning.

Let's figure out what to do with fallen leaves, just take them out of the area and throw them away, or they might still be useful for something:

  • All owners of compost heaps should send fallen leaves there so that humus is formed. The leaves of most tree species (except, perhaps, oak) decompose quite well, turning into good fertilizer, attracting earthworms. Before adding to the compost, it is advisable to first chop the leaves. This coarse material will balance the green waste that was previously in the compost heap and has already begun to decompose.
  • Some gardeners, on the contrary, use fallen leaves as mulch in areas where it is necessary to prevent erosion (wind) and soil washout. In this case, in the spring, do not forget to dig up the leaves that have rotted under the snow during the winter along with the surface soil. This will further fertilize the soil.
  • Mulch perennial plants that are afraid of severe winter frosts (hydrangeas, all roses except park roses, various shrubs) with fallen leaves.
  • Leaving foliage on the site, but at the same time making it more useful, can be quite in a simple way. Go over the area with a lawnmower, removing the basket from it. Finely chopped foliage will remain in full on the site, but in this form it will quickly dissolve in the soil, increasing its fertility.
  • Fallen leaves can be used as soil for indoor plants. To do this, the collected leaves are crushed and placed in plastic bags (you can add weeds, but without roots, flowers and seeds). The bags are put away for storage, and the condition of the compost is checked from time to time, while shaking the contents. After the decomposition process has come to an end, you will have excellent fertilized soil on your hands, which is suitable for both growing indoor plants and seedlings. Be sure to disinfect it before use.
  • Probably each of us had to make a herbarium at school. I remember making mine from chestnut leaves, it was even stored somewhere for many years, but with numerous moves, I think it disappeared forever. You can also please your children by selecting the most expressive leaves and making a herbarium album out of them, with brief information for each dried plant. In my opinion, a great idea for an unusual family pastime.

Fallen leaves can be good material for mulching a garden or vegetable garden.

However, they are necessary apply correctly, otherwise, instead of benefit, such mulch will cause a lot of harm.

We have already written about general principles mulching, now we will talk about the differences that appear when using fallen leaves as a mulching material.

You can add fallen leaves to beds prepared for planting. next year, but immediately after the snow melts it is advisable to dig them up, and plant seedlings or seedlings after 1–2 months.

In this case, the soil structure destroyed as a result of digging will have time to recover, and earthworms and other important inhabitants will return to it.

Moreover, during this time many beneficial substances from humus will go into the soil and will make the entire volume of soil more fertile.

Using mulch from fallen leaves in the garden is no different from mulching beds.

If the garden is not planted with winter varieties of plants, then it is covered with a layer of fallen leaves, and after the snow melts they dig up and let it sit for 1-2 months.

You can do without digging, but in this case the plantings should be planted not in dug holes, but in holes pierced by the handle of a shovel, but sprinkle a mixture of garden soil and humus on top from fallen leaves.

This method of planting, unlike digging, does not destroy the soil ecosystem, therefore, seedlings or seedlings can be planted 1–2 weeks after the snow melts, when the soil warms up a little.

Can fallen leaves be added to garden beds along with other fertilizers?

Fallen leaves can be added to the beds together with any other fertilizers, if the peculiarities of its influence on the soil or plants are taken into account.

When organic matter rots, the soil loses nitrogen and also becomes more acidic, so the fertilizer complex should not only fill the soil with nutrients, but also compensate for nitrogen loss, as well as changes in acidity.

It does not matter in what condition (whole or crushed) garden vacuum cleaner with mulching function) leaves fall on the beds. After all It is not the size or shape that is important, but its chemical composition and those processes that occur during decay.

Mulching the garden and lawn

Around the trees foliage can be poured without the restrictions used when mulching beds, because the trees are protected by a durable material that can easily withstand the effects of acids.

Necessary be careful when moving along paths or between rows, because the foliage quickly becomes limp and turns into a slippery mass. Therefore, it is necessary either not to fill up the paths/rows, or to lay boards on top of the mulch and walk on them.

Also necessary together with leaf mulch apply nitrogen fertilizers and microelements, and also regulate the change in acidity by adding lime or dolomite flour.

When mulching lawns populated with perennial grasses or flowers, the stems of which are completely cut off before frost, it is enough cover the lawn with a layer fallen leaves 10–20 cm thick.

In the spring, after the snow melts, plant stems will easily make their way through a thin layer of rotted foliage, and within a year, insects and earthworms will completely recycle the remaining mulch.

As a result of their life activity the result will be enriched and loosened soil with high water permeability. However, this does not eliminate the need to apply fertilizers, including microelements, because wildlife their role is played by animal excrement and decomposing corpses of various living creatures.

If bushes and flowers grow on lawns, the stems of which are not removed before winter, then they should not be mulched with fallen leaves, because acids and other substances produced by microorganisms, damage plant stems.

In this case it is better to use crushed leaf pulp which is obtained after removing the foliage.

The advantage of the crushed mass is that it is easier to lay it around the stems so that the mulch didn't touch them. If there is no such device, then it is advisable to protect the stems or plastic from bottles.

Features of using deciduous mulch

The main problem, which sometimes makes it impossible to use fallen leaves to cover beds, gardens or vegetable gardens, is associated with the high probability of leaves affected by the mulch getting into the mulch. various diseases or pest larvae.

Bifidobacteria and fungi, which convert leaf mass into humus, as well as frost, cannot destroy pathogens and larvae, so after the snow melts, bacteria and insects begin to look for food. There's a good chance they'll be able to get to suitable plants and settle on them.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to do it 1–3 times a month. check all plants, trying to detect affected leaves or branches on them.

If diseases or pests are detected, such branches/leaves needs to be cut from trees or bushes, then place them where they cannot be mixed with falling leaves.

After autumn pruning, all disease-affected and pest-infested waste must be disposed of in one of these ways:

  • take out to the landfill;
  • recycle for fuel cells;
  • burn in compliance with fire and environmental safety requirements.

We wrote about whether it is possible to burn leaves on your property.

In addition, you should not use fallen leaves for mulching. coniferous plantations, this can negatively affect the condition of the trees.

Such mulch will loosen the soil and make it more nutritious, but at the same time it will release substances incompatible with metabolism coniferous trees . This will lead to a deterioration in the condition of green spaces, leading to a decrease in immunity and damage by various pests and diseases.

There is no such danger for any deciduous species.

Video on the topic

In this video, the user tells everything about mulching with leaves in the fall: both about preparing the mulch and about the process itself.

Conclusion

Fallen leaves - good material for mulching the garden and vegetable garden. After rotting, it loosens the soil structure and makes it more fertile. However must be applied correctly her, otherwise instead of benefit such mulch will only bring harm.

After reading the article, you learned:

  • what can be mulched with fallen leaves;
  • how to properly use such mulch;
  • in what cases its use can harm plants;
  • that you cannot mulch with fallen leaves.

In contact with

Among the abundance of modern fertilizers, gardeners prefer the unchanging classics - natural organic matter, the positive effects of which have been tested by more than one generation of predecessors. Fallen leaves occupy a special place among such fertilizers. This natural organic matter does not require capital investment, and in terms of impact it is equal to bird droppings and mullein.

Foliage as fertilizer

Fallen leaves are rightfully considered a storehouse of fiber and a free source of a rather rare microelement - silicon.

By rotting, deciduous raw materials turn into valuable organic fertilizer, for which gardeners value it. Earthworms They also love to settle in rotting foliage. Gardeners use fallen leaves specifically for breeding worms and other useful living creatures on their plots.

Humus based on leaves is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. In terms of the quantitative composition of these macroelements, it is equal to cow manure. In addition, leaf humus perfectly mulches the soil, and is also a natural acidifier - an essential component of the normal growth and development of acidophilic plants.

If there are a lot of trees on the site, then leaf litter can be successfully used for feeding garden crops. Thus, alder is considered the most valuable in terms of the content of nutrients; birch and maple are slightly inferior to it.

Can it be used?

Feeding based on fallen leaves contains not only the main macroelements (nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus), but also essential microelements: iron and magnesium, silicon, calcium and sulfur.

All these components are extremely important not only for garden crops, but also for the soil. Leaf litter perfectly loosens the soil and improves air and water permeability. In addition, earthworms love to huddle in it - useful and hardworking inhabitants of personal plots.

Positive properties:

  • fertilizes the soil.
  • serves as a natural covering material that protects plants from freezing in winter.
  • fallen leaves, reheating, improve the structure of the soil.
  • serves as food for earthworms.

Negative properties:

  • over-rotted foliage is a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and pests.
  • it is difficult to see and eliminate all infected leaves. If this is not done, leaf humus will become a real breeding ground for diseases.

How to prepare fertilizer?

There are many ways to prepare high-quality organic matter from fallen leaves, but most often gardeners make humus, compost, mulch and ash from it.

Humus

To prepare high-quality leaf humus, the raw materials are collected, placed in a container (you can use an old barrel) and compacted. There is no need to close it. If there is no suitable container, the leaves are placed in thick bags, not forgetting to make small holes in several places. Garden stores sell special bags for creating humus. Containers (or bags) with foliage are placed in the most moist corner of the site. The humus will be ready for use in about a year or two. In 2-3 years it will turn into real humus.

Compost

Its manufacture requires following certain rules. It is worth considering the rate of decay of foliage different types trees. For example, oak leaves decompose more slowly than birch and linden leaves.

To speed up the overheating of the foliage, it should be stirred regularly, increasing air access. Or prepare a nitrogen-containing solution for irrigation, which accelerates the decomposition processes.

If the foliage was not removed in winter, this is done in the spring. Organic waste should not be burned or thrown away. He is sent to compost heap. This raw material will decompose faster, since it has already been under the snow and mixed in the soil. In addition, microorganisms have already settled there, accelerating overheating.

Compost is prepared in a heap or pit. After it is completely overheated, the most valuable organic fertilizer is applied to berry fields, flowers, and fruit trees.

Ash

If there are doubts about the quality of sheet raw materials, then it is wiser to dry and burn it. Fire will destroy all diseases, as well as pests at different stages of development. When the leaves burn, hydrocarbon, oxygen and nitrogen disappear, leaving: 25% calcium, 15% potassium, 4% phosphorus, a small amount of magnesium and iron, zinc and sulfur, manganese and boron, copper and strontium.

A significant calcium content turns ash into a valuable deoxidizer, which is necessary for many garden and vegetable crops. Potassium in the ash is in a form that is easy for plants to absorb. This mineral fertilizer is applied before digging up the garden (up to 300 g per sq. m.), and is also poured into holes during planting and when forming compost heaps.

Mulch

Fallen leaves are also used as natural mulch. For this purpose in autumn period wet biomaterial is laid out on the ground. It prevents the growth of weeds, protects the soil from freezing, weathering, and evaporation of nutrients.

In addition, mulch blocks the sun's rays. This is especially true for aluminas, which are subject to inevitable corking. In the spring, the leaves are raked and placed in a compost heap or buried in the ground when digging.

For the first few years, mulched beds will need nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Manure or slurry is perfect. But from making mineral fertilizers It is better to refuse, as they will have a detrimental effect on the activity of earthworms.

Note. With the advent of natural humus, there is no need for any other fertilizers.

Fallen leaves serve as high-quality insulation, which will help roses, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and other berries to successfully overwinter. Beneficial microorganisms, earthworms, which improve the structure of the soil and accelerate the process of decomposition of organic matter, overwinter well in mulch.

Large foliage of chestnut or maple is best suited for winter shelter. Smaller biomaterial strongly cakes and blocks the access of oxygen, which is undesirable for plants.

In autumn on garden plot a lot of fallen yellow leaves. Collecting fallen leaves is a job that takes time and energy. The collected leaves need to be stored somewhere or somehow disposed of. Read about what can be made from fallen autumn leaves

Photo on the left: M. Kuzmenko. : Hydrangea - winter shelter in open ground. Frame with mesh and thermal insulation.

Use dry leaves as a warming and heat-insulating material for covering roses, hydrangeas and other heat-loving shrubs, as well as plants in pots and containers for the winter.

Leave fallen leaves near the fence and under trees in the far corners of the garden, especially if your site is located near the forest. IN dry fallen leaves Hedgehogs love to settle in to spend their winter hibernation in warmth and comfort.

To quickly and without problems remove leaves from the lawn, in dry weather, walk over it with a lawn mower with the basket removed. Shredded leaves will remain on the grass and will soon simply disappear into the soil under the lawn, while improving its quality.

Mix crushed fallen leaves deciduous (not evergreen!) trees with annual weeds. Weeds must be without roots and without flowers/seeds. Place everything in a plastic bag and leave for composting. Shake the bag or stir the contents periodically to ensure even distribution. When the decomposition period is over, you will be left with fine, high-quality soil for seedlings and indoor plants.

Material: Oksana Jeter, CountrysideLiving.net