Here in Michigan, we are proud to have some of the best places to view fall colors in the country. If you live in the northern parts of the state you’ll soon start to see the flood of out of state licenses as people view this beautiful change of seasons. For Michiganders, we not only get to enjoy this metamorphosis, but we also get to clean it up! Yes, fall is a time filled with raking, bagging, and coming up with ways to dispose of all those leaves. It’s enough to make you regret planting trees in your yard in the first place.
Fortunately, there are some clever ways to dispose of fall leaves in a way that benefits you. Here’s a list of some environmentally friendly ways to get rid of fall leaves.
An Endless Supply Of Mulch
When you look outside at your yard covered in a thick blanket of leaves, don’t think about all the hours of raking that lies ahead of you, think about how much natural mulch you could be creating. There are a few ways you can create mulch from leaves:
Chop Them Up
Use a lawnmower to go over the leaves several times to chop them up into fine pieces. They can be bagged or left in the grass to settle and help fertilize the lawn.
Start a Compost Pile
You can rake them, sweep them, or blow them into a pile somewhere out of the way and create your own compost pile. The longer you let it sit the richer and more manageable the compost will be. When you want to use it, you can add the fresh compost to your gardens, flower beds, or around trees.
Do not let leaves blanket your lawn for too long. The dark, wet conditions under the leaves can kill your grass and create opportunities for lawn diseases.
Create a Lasagna Garden
Lasagna gardens are not as delicious as they sound. It’s actually a technique of layering leaves, grass clippings, and other organic material on top of one another in order to create a brand new garden without the hard work of pulling up sod and digging up rocks. After the winter snows melt the materials will be decomposed enough to plant new vegetables in and the best part is that it blends seamlessly with the ground underneath.
DO NOT BURN LEAVES
Who doesn’t like the smell of burning leaves in the fall? It’s right up there with apple cider, pumpkin spice, and fresh hay. But leaf burning is annoying and bad for the environment. Even though the leaves are dead, they can still retain a lot of moisture so when you burn then they give off a lot of smoke that contains mold, soot, and allergens that can irritate your neighbors. Also, the risk for brush fires is extremely high in the fall when the vegetation is dead and dry. Be sure to check with your county to see if there are burning restrictions in your area.
Call The Professionals At Turf Tenders
At Turf Tenders we have years of experience dealing with lawns and pests. We offer a full range of lawn care, pest control, and tree and shrub services to keep your yard looking amazing. Sign up today to get on our list for next year and take the burden of lawn maintenance off of your shoulders.
Just call (248) 541-5296 or leave a message on our site.
