Being a green lover, I am always motivated to find ways to utilise the dried leaves that fall from my plants. Homemade mulch for my plants emerges from the dry leaves of my bamboo and bougainvillea plants. Mulch is compost or any material used to preserve the nutrients in soil and helps plants grow better.
Dried Leaves in Your Garden
As mulch: Leaves make excellent mulch for use with your home grown balcony plants (flowering or show plants). They help lessen the growth of weeds, retain soil moisture, maintain lower soil temperatures in the summer, protect against temperature fluctuations and some types of low temperature harm during winter. They eventually decompose, adding their nutrients to the soil and improving soil structure.
In your compost: They also make a good addition to your compost pile. Leaves are difficult to compost alone and will require extra nitrogen in the form of a commercial fertiliser (any good manure can be added to the leaves), or materials high in nitrogen such as grass clippings.
Leaves prone to diseases like those of the apple scab, anthracnose, or those infected with leaf spots should be removed or destroyed to prevent over-wintering of the disease organisms in the debris and possible re-infection of new leaves.
Even the floral offerings to gods in most houses when dry add to the making of good mulch. Maintaining the flowers in a plastic bag or container is not a smelly affair or a cumbersome process. Pressing down with your hand over the top once every two days helps push the decomposed flowers down and reduce the load.
Shredding is not required but it may speed their rate of decomposition. The decision to shred the leaves for composting is of individual preference and related to the convenience of the person in charge.
You can make your own mulch by shredding leaves, sticks, grass, compost and other organic material. By doing this instead of throwing the material out with the trash, you’re recycling and saving the environment from morelandfills.
Some Tips for Plant Lovers
A guiding thought which I feel is important for plant lovers is that unless you have a lot of space to let the bougainvillea grow wild, bougainvillea will need periodic trimming. Don’t be afraid to trim it. Be careful when pruning your bougainvillea plants. They have thorns and aren’t easy to handle.
Bamboo can be beautiful. But most bamboos take a long time to grow. The leaves dry fast and fall off. So if you have it in the balcony, be ready to have a weekly session of cleaning the dried leaves. Care for them also includes restricting its height. It can be controlled by cutting it above the nodes. Bamboo shoots sometimes extend till the ceilings of houses. In such cases, cut out the stalk from the uppermost branch. If lower stems have less or no branches, then cut it from its lower half and reduce the branches till second node of every branch. This encourages the growth growing of new, tender branches.
Authour: The Alternative.The Alternative is an online media publication focused on sustainable living and social impact. Republished here with permission.
FAQs
9 ways to repurpose fallen autumn leaves
- Mow over the dead leaves. One way to enrich the soil is by using dry leaves as organic fertiliser. ...
- Add them to a compost pile. ...
- Make leaf mould. ...
- Use them to mulch. ...
- Insulate your garden shed. ...
- Protect your root vegetables. ...
- Bring the leaves inside. ...
- Turn the leaves into wall art.
High nitrogen materials include grass clippings, plant cuttings, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Brown or woody materials such as autumn leaves, wood chips, sawdust, and shredded paper are high in carbon.
What are the benefits of dry leaves? ›
Dead leaves can also become an ingredient in a good compost, which is better than chemical fertilizer. Compost nourishes plants, preserves moisture in the soil, helps spread fertilizer, facilitates weeding, attracts worms and helps prevent diseases.
What is the best way to dispose of dry leaves? ›
the best way of disposing dry leaves is by composting or vermicompost. there is not limitation of this technique. and is very helpful. the left residue is compost can be used as manure for the growing plants.
What can be made from dry leaves? ›
Dry leaves can also become an important ingredient in a good compost, which is better than chemical fertilizer. Compost nourishes plants, preserves moisture in the soil, helps spread fertilizer, facilitates weeding, attracts worms and helps prevent diseases.
What is the purpose of dead leaves? ›
Fallen leaves are nature's way of enriching the soil in which plants grow. As they are consumed by fungi, bacteria, and other organisms in the soil, the decomposition process releases nutrients that plants need and improves the soil structure to make it a better home for plants' roots.
Are dead leaves high in nitrogen? ›
Leaves contain high levels of carbon and small amounts of nitrogen. The microbes that decompose leaves and other types of organic matter require nitrogen for their own metabolism and growth.
Are leaves good fertilizer for gardens? ›
Look to leaves! Leaves that drop in the fall can supply all the nutrients needed in a vegetable garden. They'll even supply a wider range of essential nutrients than a bag of 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizer, because tree roots draw over a dozen plant nutrients up from the soil and deposit them in leaves.
Is there nitrogen in dry leaves? ›
Dry leaves can have varying nitrogen content depending on the specific plant species and environmental conditions. In some cases, dry leaves may have high nitrogen content, while in others, the nitrogen content may be lower.
Do dried leaves still have nutrients? ›
Dried leaves are generally reported to have active nutrient levels that are three to four times higher than that of fresh leaves [4], [5].
Fallen leaves are truly nature's gift to gardeners. They make great compost, mulch and fertilizer that can be used everywhere around the landscape. Instead of throwing them away to be wasted in the landfill, use them to benefit your lawn and garden.
Do dried leaves have nutrients? ›
The levels of nutrients vary somewhat from species to species. However, the nitrogen content of composted leaves on a dry basis usually varies from 0.5 to 1.0 percent. Potash amounts are in the same range. Phosphate amounts are around 0.1 percent.
Are dried leaves hazardous? ›
Not only do dry leaves pose fire hazards, but as they sit and accumulate fall and winter rain and winter weather, they can cause other damage like mold, which you can read about from a previous blog here. Ultimately, accidents happen, and fires start even when taking all the preventative measures.
Can I put dead leaves in my garden? ›
Be sure to chop or shred leaves before using them as mulch. Whole leaves can form a mat that water can't penetrate. If you add shredded leaves right to the soil, add some slow-release nitrogen fertilizers to help the leaves decompose and to ensure that soil microbes don't use all of the available nitrogen.
Can I use dead leaves as mulch? ›
A lot of people think of raking leaves as a chore and a nuisance, but in reality, dead leaves are a fantastic mulch source. Fallen leaves are readily available, free, and renewable making them absolute “garden gold.” Mulch, by definition, is a suitable material put on top of soil to help maximize its environment.
Are dried leaves effective? ›
Dried leaves also play a role in poverty alleviation and food security, serving as a safety net during times of crisis . Moreover, environment-friendly fertilizers made from dried leaves have low pollution, are good for the environment, and promote plant growth .
How do you make dried leaves into fertilizer? ›
Here are five easy steps to making an effective leaf compost for your lawn:
- Shred and Collect Leaves. The first step to making leaf compost is shredding the leaves. ...
- Add Shredded Leaves to Compost Pile. ...
- Add Nitrogen and Carbon Elements. ...
- Turn Leaf Compost. ...
- Use Finished Leaf Compost.
Be sure to chop or shred leaves before using them as mulch. Whole leaves can form a mat that water can't penetrate. If you add shredded leaves right to the soil, add some slow-release nitrogen fertilizers to help the leaves decompose and to ensure that soil microbes don't use all of the available nitrogen.
What to do with dead leaves on plants? ›
Any dead or dying leaves can be pruned immediately. Leaves with slight damage can be trimmed back, especially if it's the leaf tip. If prefer to remove the whole leaf, that's fine too. Trimming back dying foliage will encourage new growth.
