Now that fall is upon us, it’s time to start thinking about buttoning up things in the yard. The trees will be bare soon and all of those leaves have to go somewhere, and that includes into your gutters, onto your lawn, and cars, and hardscaping.
During my years as a teacher I was often referred to, lovingly, as a “treehugger” by my students. I accept and embrace that label. But I’ve become domesticated over the decades and there are a few concessions that I’ve made in the name of marital harmony and being a good neighbor. But if it were up to me and me alone, my yard would never be selected for the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
Here are a few friendly recommendations for fall tree and leaf tasks on your property.
Mulch ‘em. My wife knows how much I proudly detest raking. The reason I do this is because, first and foremost, it is not fun and it sucks the joy out of my Saturdays; also, though, the removal of organic matter from the lawn– free fertilizer– seems silly to me. Why not mulch them back into the soil with your lawn mower? Your lawn won’t look “perfect”, but the chewed up bits of leaves will decompose in short order and you’ll never know the difference. You’ll save money on fertilizer and return some valuable carbon and nitrogen to the soil.
Also remember that many beneficial insects and other invertebrate animals fully require leaf litter for overwintering. If you must rake, resist the urge to rake immediately. The longer that leaf litter remains, the more benefit it provides for wildlife.
Scoop ‘em. Get the gutters cleaned out. There might be leaves, maple spinners, accumulated biomass (“sludge”), roof debris and who knows what else up there. As the dreary season settles in and rain and snow will arrive, you want water flowing freely down your downspouts and away from the house. If you’re like me and don’t want to spend any more time on a ladder than necessary, wait until all of the leaves fall. You’ll probably need to do it again after the trees flower and shed helicopters and other seeds everywhere (such as your gutters.)
Steer ‘em clear. Keep leaves out of lakes, culverts, and street drains. In residential lakes (like The Lagoons where we live), it’s obviously not possible to keep all of the leaves out of the lake, but anything you can do to minimize it will help. Leaves that sink to the bottom will decompose and form thick, black “muck” that accumulates and makes the lake shallower. And don’t wait to remove leaves from drains and culverts until we have torrential rain and it all backs up into streets and yards.
Also, blow leaves off of decks and concrete pads. If left too long, the tannins in the leaves will leach onto the hard surfaces and stain them. The organic matter will disintegrate on the surface and become ground in. The less of that that you allow, the less you’ll have to power wash those surfaces. While you’re at it: if you have to park vehicles outside and under trees, take a blower and blow out leaves and twigs that accumulate between the hood and windshield. I can speak from experience on this. Our truck (a working vehicle) accumulated so much debris in there that I had to pay for repairs eventually. I’m a dummy sometimes.
Trees are the best. They’re also a little messy. Sort of like pets and children. And like our messy loved ones, they are so worth having that the seasonal cleanup is worth it. Just don’t call me over to do any raking because I’ll be busy watching a football game.
