They are falling down now! I love seeing fall colors on our trees! Then you can play in them but then you should do something with them…
They do make great mulch!
A mulch is any material applied to the soil surface for protection or improvement of the area covered. A layer of leaves applied to the surface of the soil as a mulch around trees, shrubs, in flower beds and in vegetable gardens will:
- conserve soil moisture
- control weeds and grasses
- reduce soil erosion
- prevent soil crusting
- eliminate lawn mower disease-damage caused by mowing or
- trimming too close to young trees
Passing yard waste through a shredder creates a more uniform mulch material. A string trimmer (or weed wacker) shreds dry leaves very quickly when inserted into a trash can partially filled with leaves. This also reduces the volume by over 50 percent and speeds up decomposition.
Credit: Scott Eckert, County Extension Agent, Horticulture, K-State Research and Extension
