Tip of the Month November 2007

Autumn leaf clean up can prevent some plant problems

As winter arrives the leaves fall from our trees and shrubs. There are many reasons to clean up these leaves besides the fact that it is just plain messy. If you are looking for an excuse not to clean up the leaves right now this is not the article to read.

There are many horticulturaly important reasons for leaf clean up and here are just a few:

Cut down the spread of foliage disease: Many foliage diseases overwinter on leaves as they lie on the ground. In the spring when the new leaves come out on the trees the spores are released into the air and if we have a damp spring the spores stick to the new leaves and begin to grow and cause the damage to the leaves we recognize as the symptoms of the disease. A great example of this is Black Spot on aspen. If you have this disease on your trees you need to make sure you do a good job of cleaning up the leaves as they drop.

Allow air and water to get to the roots of lawn: As the fallen leaves begin to decompose the form a layer that covers the ground and can actually smother the plants that they are laying on.

Allow room for insects breed: Many insects use the organic matter of decaying leaves to breed and live until they come up to feed on your plants in the spring and summer. Removing the leaves can reduce problems with such insects as slugs.

So, make sure you keep those leaves picked up and consider composting them for a reduction of landfill waste and for the wonderful soil amendment that composted tree leaves creates.

Happy fall everyone.