Autumn has arrived, which means that leaves are beginning to fall from the trees. Leaves can be an amazing decoration for your home or garden, but they also have a downside – they need to be raked up each week. If you want to get the most out of autumn leaves this year, here are 5 tips on how to use them wisely.
When do trees shed their leaves?
Unlike conifers, deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn. This happens for the reason that water is constantly evaporating through the leaves and this causes a tree to absorb a lot of water. In winter, however, the water in the soil is usually frozen, which causes the leaves to simply drop. As a result, a tree can get by for a long time with very little water. In the fall months, the tree removes all nutrients and closes the leaf petioles, cutting off the leaves from the water supply. This subsequently causes them to turn colorful, wilt, and eventually fall off.
Do the leaves have to go away at all?
The question can be clearly answered with YES. Especially when it comes to open lawns. If the autumn leaves remain there, the lawn underneath could rot over the winter – this must be prevented. As harmful as it can be to the lawn, leaves can be beneficial to certain areas of the garden because:
- Leaves are the best natural fertilizer
- can serve as shelter for animals
- can be used as frost protection for plants
- and much more.
What devices facilitate the collection of leaves?
First of all, you need to collect the leaves and do it as effectively as possible. For many years, leaf blowers and leaf vacuums have been offered. Of course, this type is supposedly the most convenient and uncomplicated. But beware! On the one hand, the purchase is cost-intensive, on the other hand, such devices harbor far-reaching consequences. In addition to noise pollution, leaf blowers cause massive dust pollution and are anything but optimal for health. In many places, there are also bans on such devices. In addition to leaves, leaf vacuums also suck in many garden beneficial insects, which should be avoided at all costs.
Even if it sometimes seems tedious: We still recommend rake for wet leaves and fan brooms. Here there are different designs with different tines and materials. Rakes made of steel are known for durability and are generally suitable for the garden. Rubber rakes, on the other hand, are perfect for patios and the like, as they do not leave scratches on the ground. It is also important to store the garden tools safely, cleanly, and space-saving over the winter.
The weatherproof garden house offers you enough storage space for this! Whether wind, rain, snow or freezing cold: all this is no problem for the garden house. It can remain outside all year round without any problems because even large temperature fluctuations cannot harm the garden house in the garden.
Leaf mulch – a boon for certain plants
What can be poison for the lawn, is for certain plants a breeding ground over the winter months. Namely, those that have their natural habitat in the forest or at the edge of the forest. If they are now covered with foliage, this corresponds to their living conditions in nature. This includes raspberries or strawberries, which are very fond of foliage cover in the root area. Here’s how to turn your leaves into mulch:
- Collect leaves
- let it rest for about two weeks
- then spread them in suitable places in the garden
Winter protection for plants and animals
Animals, such as hedgehogs, can benefit from smaller piles of leaves in the garden to protect themselves from the cold. To do this, it is advisable to pile up smaller branches as if they were a campfire, cover them with leaves, and perhaps do this more in corners that are not very accessible. This will give the animals the rest they need. In general, leaves are also suitable as cheap bedding for the rabbit hutch.
Disposing of leaves in the compost
At the end of the day, there is usually a large pile of leaves in the garden that is now useful to recycle. If it’s not serving as natural frost protection for plants or shelter for animals, you should dispose of the leaves at the compost. It is recommended to shred everything before doing so – this way it mixes best with the grass clippings already at the compost, creating extremely high-quality and, above all, natural fertilizer. If you do not have a shredder, it is advisable to rent one at the hardware store for a small amount of money.
Autumn leaves as a decorative element
You can also use your autumn leaves for numerous craft ideas. Even with single, fresh leaves, you can conjure up beautiful DIY decorations and so also your environment to the colorful season.
As you can see, a lot of meaningful work can be done by piling up the garden leaves. The most important thing is to rake the leaves from the lawn to prevent rotting. If in the course of this also animals can find their new home and plants can be fertilized, the work will immediately be much easier from your hand.