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The Leaves fall, and fall, and fall... by Toni Leland The leaves fall patiently Nothing remembers or grieves The river takes to the sea The yellow drift of leaves. (Sara Teasdale, ÒAutumnÓ 1926)
In town, homeowners can simply rake leaves to the curb and the City will collect them, mulch them, and carry them away. When I first moved to Zanesville, I was delighted with this process, as IÕd only lived in places where leaves were bagged in plastic and dumped in the landfill. Not good. Out here in the county, we have to find something to do with them. Leaf compost is the choice of most gardeners. Decomposing leaves plus fungal activity equals leaf mold, a rich soil additive that is valuable in our flower beds and landscaping projects. Leaf mold is the end result of cold or slow composting, a process that takes longer, but requires little of the attention needed to tend a traditional hot compost pile. A disadvantage of cold composting is that weed seeds are not killed in the process; if using the slow/cold method, do not add weeds or diseased plants to the pile. Whole leaves can be composted, but shredded leaves decompose faster. To build your own leaf mold warehouse, find an out of the way spot on your property and start a pile of whole or shredded leaves; you can fashion a bin from fencing mesh. As you add leaves, wet them down thoroughly and, at the end of the raking season, wrap the sides of the bin with 6 mil plastic. Most references stated that composting leaves this way could take up to a year to produce quality leaf mold. If you donÕt have knee-deep leaves on your property, and donÕt wish to rake, you might prefer to shred or mower-mulch the leaves for lawn feeding. Set the deck high and make several passes from different directions; this reduces the leaf matter to small chips that will decompose into the lawn, providing organic fertilizer. Keep in mind that this shredded material is also good winter mulch for plants that need protection. The small chips of leaves do not mat down like whole leaves (which provide moist, dark places for over-wintering insects). To use winter mulch, wait until the temperatures have been consistently low and the surface of the soil is frozen, then add a 1 to 2 inch layer of mulched leaves around the base of the plant. Other uses for leaves Before you send the kids out to rake, offer them some fun things to do with autumn leaves. Since HalloweÕen is just around the corner, try to find some of the orange or black leaf bags that look like pumpkins or spiders when theyÕre full. Decorate your front yard, then after the spooks and goblins have had their night, go on with your plans for the leaves. FallÕs glory can be preserved in many interesting ways, and when the colors are at their peak, take a walk and collect as many different colors and shapes as you can find. Make a colorful placemat using clear Contact¨ and leaves. Cut the Contact¨ into two 2-foot pieces, then peel the backing off one piece and lay it on the table, sticky side up. Arrange the leaves in a pleasing pattern on the Contact¨. Remove the backing from the second piece and carefully position it over the leaves and smooth it out. Trim the edges with pinking shears or scrapbooking scissors. To find other fun leaf-related crafts, visit About.com: Family Crafts at http://familycrafts.about.com and choose ÒseasonalÓ or ÒholidayÓ subjects. Ever wonder exactly how autumn color happens? How do the trees know? Basically, the regulating factor is the length of nightÐas the days move toward the end of the calendar year, the nights grow longer and cooler, and the biochemical processes in leaves begin. Chlorophyll gives leaves their green color and is necessary for photosynthesis, the process by which plants use sunlight to manufacture sugar for food. Carotenoids produce yellow, orange, and brown in leaves as well as corn, carrots, daffodils, rutabagas, and bananas. Anthocyanins are responsible for the reds, including cranberries, apples, blueberries, cherries, and the like. These three pigments are always present in the leaf, but only show up when chlorophyll production slows and stops in the autumn. For in-depth information on this amazing and predictable display of Nature, visit the United States Forest Service pages at http://www.na.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/ So there you have itÐeverything you ever wanted to know about leaves and were smart enough not to ask. This article appeared in the Zanesville Times-Recorder on October 29, 2007. ©Toni Leland |
Obviously, Ms. Teasdale didnÕt have an acre and a half of
maple, hickory, ash, oak, and walnut trees with which to contend! The ÒdriftsÓ
of leaves in my yard only drift closer to the house with each gust of wind, and
my neighborÕs carefully-raked pile will end up in my driveway before weekÕs
end. ItÕs finally time to buckle down and rake. What in the world can one do
with all these leaves? IÕll start with the best solution: a leaf blower to send
them all back across the road. Sorry, that just slipped out.