Fall. The harvest has long been harvested, and the trees and shrubs have already shed their foliage and prepared for the cold winter. And what to do with the fallen leaves of berry bushes, fruit and wild trees? Can't do anything?
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Do I need to remove foliage
After all, in nature everything is provided. And a carpet of fallen leaves is an additional shelter for the root system from frost. And in the spring, decaying leaves will give the plants extra nutrition.
That's how it is. But here's the bad luck. A carpet of fallen leaves serves as a shelter not only for the roots of trees and shrubs, but also for many insects. Hiding in the foliage, caterpillars, leafworms, gooseberry moths, spider mites and many other pests await spring.
Based on this, the answer to the above question will be an unequivocal "yes", foliage must be removed. It can be left under the wild trees in your area.
Application methods
The foliage must be removed. But it is not necessary to throw it away or burn it. There are many ways to benefit from fallen leaves:
- Compost. By the end of the summer cottage, the compost pit is filled with weeds, vegetable tops and other plant debris. Harvested and chopped foliage is a great addition. Useful components from brown or brown foliage will be added to nitrogen from green plant matter.
- Mulching. High quality natural mulch is obtained from fallen leaves. To do this, you need to scatter wet leaves over unoccupied plots of land, and in the spring, dig them up along with the soil. When using this method, the leaves will protect the soil from freezing, washing out useful substances from it, and also prevent weeds from growing.
- Fireplace fuel. If a stove or wood-burning fireplace is installed in your country house, then in no case should the leaves be thrown away. Collect them, dry them and put them in a suitable container. The fallen leaves crackling when burning in the fireplace will fill your home with the unforgettable scent of an autumn forest.
- Attracting hedgehogs. With the help of fallen leaves, you can attract hedgehogs to your site, which happily eat pest larvae. To do this, simply do not remove leaves along fences and around trees located in remote areas of your garden, so that these animals want to settle in them.
- Bedspread for perennials. Cover peonies, irises, lilies and other thermophilic perennials with dry leaves for the winter. Bulbous flowers will bloom earlier than usual if covered with a blanket of leaves.
- Ceiling insulation. Due to the shape and uneven edges, as well as the thickening of the leaves in the area of the veins, they can be used as insulation for the ceiling. The resulting oxygen cushion, when the fallen leaves are properly placed, serves as a heat insulator. The service life of such material can last up to several decades. The main thing is that the leaves do not get wet, because the process of decomposition and development of microorganisms begins only with increased humidity.
- Growing mushrooms. Recently, a fairly common occupation among gardeners is the independent cultivation of mushrooms. Mushrooms are a healthy and tasty product that is loved by almost everyone and used in the preparation of many dishes. To obtain 1 kg of mushrooms, you need at least 4-6 kg of fallen leaves. Mushrooms do not require special care for themselves when growing. So that there are a lot of mushrooms, and they grow faster, the fallen leaves are mixed with mullein and ash.
- Warm beds. Fallen leaves are an irreplaceable component of biofuels. The process of creating a warm bed is simple. A trench is made, and everything that can decompose is laid on its bottom: mowed grass, food waste, sawdust, including fallen leaves. We cover everything from above with soil. Buried biofuel will decompose, generate heat and heat your garden.
Now you have learned what to do with fallen leaves and why you need to remove leaves from your lawn in the fall. Let's hope that our advice will help not only transform the site in the fall, but also increase the yield of your crops in the coming years.
Do you know what application can be found for fallen leaves?
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