Ever
jump in a big pile of fall leaves as a kid? Something
about bouncing on Mother Nature’s temporary trampoline
that can’t be duplicated in any gym. We’re
lucky to live in a state where leaves fall and we get
all four seasons unlike some unlucky Northerners
who divide their year into two halves called “shovel”
and “swat.”
Leaves
look good, feel good to jump in and—in the mountains—we’ve
got an entire tourist industry devoted to looking at them.
But after the party’s over, somebody has to clean
up. For most of us, that means raking
or blowing them into a big pile—and then what?
City dwellers
have a habit of raking leaves into the street for the
free pickup our taxes provide. What’s bad
about that? Leaves in the
street get washed into storm drains, that’s what!
In large quantities, they block drains and contribute
to localized flooding. In
small quantities, the storm drain takes them to streams
and creeks where they cause havoc with the ecosystem.
Rural rakers often pile leaves into ditches where they
stop runoff and possibly cause some flooding. Burning
leaves is unnecessary and—depending on
where you do it—can bring a fine.
I can hear it now:
“Leaves have been
falling into streams and creeks since the Flood! And what,
pray tell, is so wrong with that?”
The operative word here is fall. Mother Nature’s
no slouch in the systems theory department. If each creek
or stream only had to handle what fell into it naturally,
they’d be just fine. Even a man-made ditch could
handle that much. But by
the time you and your neighbors rake your little slices
of heaven, that’s more leaves than one little piece
of wet real estate like a creek can handle.
Excess leaves
shade aquatic life that needs sun to live; decomposing
leaves release nutrients (more on that later) that stimulate
algae growth; and algae blooms can lead to fish
kills. That’s the bad news. The
good news is, you are sitting on a landscaping gold mine
and likely don’t know it.
Remember those nutrients
the leaves release in the water? Why not put them to work
on your own lawn? Compost
is easy to make, replenishes your soil and saves you landscaping
money, to boot.
First,
a few facts about leaves: They build topsoil and
humus that amend our Carolina clay so it can absorb more
water. That saves irrigation and reduces runoff
right there. Raking leaves a foot thick in a ring around
a tree (spray a bit of water to get them to stay put)
covers bare areas where grass won’t grow and retains
moisture through dry periods. Unlike
bark mulch (which can attract termites) leaves do not
harbor home destroying insects. Leaves
can decompose in one year, but you can speed up the process
by shredding them (or use the poor man’s shredder:
a lawn mover!). Pine needles
leave soil slightly acidic, so put them around azaleas
and rhododendrons. Oak leaves start out
acid, but end up alkaline after about nine months. The
natural phenols that keep seedlings from sprouting are
gone then, too. If you are still concerned, get a soil
test and add lime as needed. Leaves
that have not rotted can be safely applied between rows
after plants get four inches high, though. And at year’s
end, just till them into the soil.
So
where are all these leaves sitting for a year? Composting
can be a lavish operation that involves fancy structures,
turning piles daily and monitoring temperature. It
can also be as simple as raking leaves into a certain
spot in the yard and letting them stay there for a year
before you spread them around. Just don’t make that
spot next to your curb or driveway.
Lawn
clippings pose the same risk if left in the curb area.
One good rain and down the storm drain they go! But like
leaves, lawn clippings have more to contribute than that
great smell. If you’re
tired of buying fertilizer, leave those clippings on the
lawn for a boost of free nitrogen and phosphorus. Isn’t
that easier than bagging them up and then replenishing
with nutrients you had to buy? Or, you can mix them into
the fall leaves you’ve already piled up.
Amazing, isn’t
it? Nature already has a
system that not only provides free gym equipment, it also
gives serves up fertilizer, compost and landscaping material.
All you have to do is save money, burn
a few calories and feel good about improving local water
quality. That last part’s priceless, though.
Chrystal
Bartlett currently works as Stormwater Awareness & Outreach Coordinator
for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources where she
recently launched a new stormwater Web site, www.ncstormwater.org. She
is also a freelance voiceover talent and image management consult. Before
working at DENR, she worked as a DJ, news reporter and at several ad
agencies. Chrystal graduated from N.C. State University with a B.A.
in Communication and an M.A. in Public Relations.