By WAYNE BECKER AgriLife Extension Agent
Right now there are plenty of leaves in everyone’s yard.
Finding the best way to deal with leaves is a dilemma many homeowners struggle with yearly.
We are all familiar with the fact that bagging leaves and sending them to the landfill is not the most environmentally friendly option and that leaving them in place layering our lawns is not the best for our grass.
Some good options follow:
Mowing the leaves right where they lie is the quickest, easiest and most simple means of disposal. Research conducted in many parts of the country has shown that mowing leaves into the lawn is very effective.
Mow often to make it easier to handle the quantity of leaves that fall.
Mulching is a great way to deal with excess leaves. Place leaves in the pathways of your garden and flower beds. They will decompose in place, reduce weed problems, and enrich the soil, all at the same time. Using chipped or shredded leaves for this purpose will help with the decomposition process and will minimize leaf movement due to wind.
Traditional composting is the most labor intensive option, but it is certainly another way to utilize the leaves. The resulting product is perfect for adding to and enriching the soil. However, composting leaves alone will be an extremely slow process. Remember for good composting activity you need brown stuff, green stuff, air and water…basically a good combination of carbon and nitrogen with air and water makes for quicker decomposition of the compost.
Leaves and grass clippings with some brush or wood chips added for aeration are an excellent mix to begin the composting process. Since grass clippings are in short supply in the fall, it is possible to stockpile leaves until spring, or to use another nitrogen source such as manures, table scraps, coffee grounds etc.
If you are trying to compost and nothing is happening add more nitrogen sources.
If the pile smells of ammonia, add more carbon. It might take several attempts to get the right mixture of materials that will yield the perfect distribution of ingredients for composting.
Mixing different types and sizes of organic materials will provide a well-drained and aerated compost pile that holds enough water to promote decomposition. The more varied the materials going into the pile, the better chance of maintaining the proper C:N ratio and efficient decomposition.
Extension agent Wayne Becker of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service of Cooke County may be reached by email at wbecker@ag.tamu.edu or by phone at (940) 668-5412.
