December 14, 2020 As fall comes upon us, so do the leaves on trees. For some, a bed of leaves in the yard is just another chore on the list of things to do. However, there are more ways to use the leaves that fall from trees than sticking them in the green waste bin. Here are three different ways to reverse the roles and make fallen leaves work for you instead. With these, you’ll never follow the same process for recycling fall leaves ever again. Compost Trees save and store much of their nutrients into their leaves. When chopped and spread out over a garden or lawn, they can produce amazing results. However, it’s not as easy as just leaving the fallen leaves on the lawn or yard. Leaving them untouched once they’ve fallen and assuming they will automatically benefit your space is quite the mistake. Leaves that fall close together create a sort of waterproof netting. This means that the yard might be missing out on water, and the leaves could be the problem. To compost, these leaves have to be chopped up. The easiest way to turn them into compost is to spread some leaves over the desired area and run the mower over them. This cuts them up into bits and puts them to work. This process can also save you hundreds of dollars a year! Think about the times where buying fertilizer and compost was necessary to start and finish a garden or yard project. Every time leaves are raked up and thrown out, money goes down the chute. Creating homemade compost benefits your trees, yard, garden, and pockets. Garden Prep Leaves that have been broken down are just begging to be used in gardens. However, this process shouldn’t wait until spring, as starting until then makes it too late. During the fall, gather leaves and break them down to make them into a fertilizer for your garden. Then, apply them to the garden beds where you plan on growing fruits or vegetables. During the winter and early spring months, the leaf bits should be decomposed enough to nourish the soil. If mid-winter rolls around and you see that the leaves aren’t breaking down enough, add some water to them now and then. This will speed up the decomposition process and make sure they’re broken down enough when spring rolls around. Community Service If you don’t consider yourself a gardener, you can collect the leaves from trees for different purposes. Believe it or not, many people go out and look for leaves. Since leaves are being raked and bagged up anyway, you can donate them to someone else. Some cities have community recycling set up to make it easier for its residents to get rid of their leaves. You can even contact your city office to see if someone can come and pick up the leaves from your home to turn into compost and then distribute them to the community. Contact Front Range Arborists Inc. in Colorado Springs, CO After all is said and done, more work may still be necessary beside recycling your fall leaves. This work might be out of your area and expertise, and that is where we come in. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, Front Range Arborists, Inc. offers services including pest control and beetle prevention, fire mitigation, tree removal, tree trimming, and more tree services. We serve Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, Fountain, Monument, Black Forest, Manitou Springs, and other surrounding areas. Call Front Range Arborists Inc. at (719) 635 – 7459 or use our online form today!
