Autumn leaf fall has been very heavy this year and half of my largish lawn is covered with leaves so densely that no grass can be seen. Has anyone tried just leaving them to rot?
My guess is that the grass will be knocked back a bit due to lack of light, but it will come back again in the spring. It is not of the "fine lawn" type anyway, more a paddock.
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Not too bad here...I had planned to run the tractor over them but not done for technical reasons. They should mulch down. As you say huge leaf fall this autumn, probably dye to them coming down in one job lot.
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Was going to head up to my dads to do his leaf raking but we are forecast to get some quite strong winds over next few days so I think I will wait till next weekend and hopefully do it all in a one-er!
What do folks do with their leaves, into the wheelie bin or does anyone still burn them?
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I bought a vacuum thingy - sucks them all up and chews them up, they can then be re-used as mulch or as I did put them in the "green" bin...
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Combining a teenager with a tenner seems the line of least resistance to these sorts of matters. Especially if you have a dog...
If you are feeling at all charitable you can of course suggest or throw in the loan of some industrial weight rubber gloves but they usually work that one out for themselves fairly quickly...
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I always leave them and they always disappear. My understanding is that worms pull them down into the holes to eat.
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>> Combining a teenager with a tenner seems the line of least resistance to these sorts
>> of matters. Especially if you have a dog...
>>
I was vacuuming up the leaves at Spamcan Towers a couple of years back and nearly sucked up a large dead rat, thankfully the leaf sucker/blower wasn't quite powerful enough to ingest it!
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Make leaf mold. Make yourself a mesh container.- I have two about a metre cube. Keep them moist and in a year's time you will have a soil condioner without equal for free
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 8 Nov 15 at 14:25
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I bought one of these from Deutschland last year (when it was cheaper) grrreat little tool for giving the leaves a blow job and/or sucking them up. Instructions (operational) are/were in, um, German :)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-in-1-Petrol-Leaf-Blower-Vacuum-Shredder-Gas-Powered-Shredding-Garden-55132-/371162406012?hash=item566b00dc7c:g:UeAAAOSwMmBVujL4
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Unless you have acres to clear to be honest the best tool is a plastic tined leaf rake and a couple of pieces of plywood to act as "hands" to pick them up.
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Before the sucker came along I used a brush and snow scoop...best 4.00 I ever spent
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Before the sucker came along I used to do it myself. He costs more than £4 though.
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Used to use a Flymo vacuum BUT it clogged unless the leaves were dry.
Back using a rake and a pair of plastic "BIG HANDS"
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I collect about 40 large bags (0.5m cubed) of leaves.
I use a lawn rake and a 50 year old aluminium and plastic leaf grabber. Bending down to pick up leaves is a no-go area for my back, Do a bit a day: we have about 20 large trees in the garden and three oaks in the field so leaving them to rot = blocked drains/pond and leaves into the house . Every two weeeks i sweep out the garage - leaves are blown in.
Wonderful compost.
Leaf blower? High cost, little use and no good with wet leaves..
Last edited by: madf on Sun 8 Nov 15 at 15:46
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>>Leaf blower?
They can be a nuisance, but our local council does a good job with them. A couple of chaps with blowers, blowing leaves from pavements on to roads, with road sweeper close behind.
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For my grass and paths I just use my rotary mower with the blades set high. It munches the leaves, collects them and is quick providing they are not too wet.
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>> For my grass and paths I just use my rotary mower with the blades set
>> high. It munches the leaves, collects them and is quick providing they are not too
>> wet.
Same here.
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Out among the villages and woods this morning, Beestling Minor and I (B. Major is away on a school tour of some French WW1 mud) cycled up an unfamiliar road. Ahead of us was an impressive roaring noise, loud enough to make me wonder if we were about to encounter a piece of road-blocking agricultural or earthmoving machinery.
It was, of course, a householder using a blower to move leaves off her drive and on to the grassy verges of the road. As we left her behind, we could still hear her machine for what seemed like miles. Glad she's not my neighbour; Pressure Washer Man was bad enough.
Actually, separating leaves from gravel may be one task that a blower does do better than a rake. Still noisy though, a task for a hired gardener to do on a Wednesday afternoon rather than disturbing the entire village on a Sunday morning. That way you don't also have an expensive piece of equipment lying around the shed for 50 weeks of the year.
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When I had a lawn, I found the very bestest thing was an old fahioned besom...or witches broom. Plus a pair of auxiliary hands, it made light work of the job.
Had the advantage of not being idle the rest of the time as SWM could use it for transport !
Cringes, expecting attack from rear !
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I have an electric leaf Blower/hoover but not tried it on wet leaves.
Got a roller mower so that is no use.
For most leaves I use my plastic rake and collect them in heavy duty black sacks or compost bags. Ensure they are not dry and leave them over winter to start rotting.
In the spring I mix them with grass cuttings and put them in my plastic compost bins.
This stops the grass clippings going " nasty" and recycles it all for grass dressing..
Next doors Robiina is a different problem. The stems of the leaves do not easily quickly rot so those are collected and go to the tip.
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"I just use my rotary mower with the blades set high."
Same here; after 31 seasons of faithful service, the Honda HR194 steams on.
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I know we tend to be old-school here but...
...steam?
};---)
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>>Unless you have acres to clear to be honest the best tool is a plastic tined leaf rake and a couple of pieces of plywood to act as "hands" to pick them up.<<
Spot on.
Past neighbour had a leaf vacuum, and took longer to remove his leaves with that than I take with my Homebase leaf rake.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Sun 8 Nov 15 at 15:18
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>> Autumn leaf fall has been very heavy this year and half of my largish lawn
>> is covered with leaves so densely that no grass can be seen. Has anyone tried
>> just leaving them to rot?
We just leave ours to rot down, nothing bad has happened.
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That's simply replicating what happens in nature and if you have a piece of rough grass rather than a lawns it's a good option.
However leaves will smother a lawn and leave dead areas as well as being unsightly. Dead leaves are best kept seperated from green compost. Leaves turn into lead mold by fungal activity. Green waste rots by bacterial activity. The two processes don't mix that well.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 8 Nov 15 at 18:56
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I don't mind the sight of them, like you say it's only what happens in nature anyway.
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For the life of me, I can not understand leaf blowers. A whole industry has exploded in the UK, where the masses have invested time and money in blowing leaves from one place to another. The amount of energy/leaf miles consumed must be enormous. No word of a lie, I have seen neighbours on alternate days blowing leaves from one side to the other like a games of tennis.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 8 Nov 15 at 19:25
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I have seen neighbours on alternate days blowing leaves from one
>> side to the other like a games of tennis.
Probably retired, keeps them amused I expect.
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Like WDB, I find leaf blowers incredibly noisy. A woman in our close bought one and the expression on her face, when she first used it, suggested that she felt the same. She only used it once and seems to have chosen the option of having the tree removed instead.
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>> For the life of me, I can not understand leaf blowers.
When I raised that very point here ages ago everybody sprang to their defence and said how useful leaf blowers were.
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People blow hot and cold about them... :-)
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When I was deciding on what we needed here few weeks ago, seemed pointless buying a blower only, opted for the sucker for much the same reason.
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It's disrespectful to speak of your significant other like that!
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Are iPads waterproof? Or snorted tea proof anyway?
:-))
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>> That's simply replicating what happens in nature and if you have a piece of rough
>> grass rather than a lawns it's a good option.
>>
>> However leaves will smother a lawn and leave dead areas as well as being unsightly.
>> Dead leaves are best kept seperated from green compost. Leaves turn into lead mold by
>> fungal activity. Green waste rots by bacterial activity. The two processes don't mix that well.
>>
When you have two dogs there is no such thing as a lawn.
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>> When you have two dogs there is no such thing as a lawn.
>>
And when you have two Dogs at leaf time you'd better pick the Poo immediately or consider it forever lost until you next venture out...... Well I guess you get it?
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>>And when you have two Dogs at leaf time you'd better pick the Poo immediately or consider it forever lost until you next venture out...... Well I guess you get it?
Best to blow/suck/sweep the leaves up pronto like in the first place - brown is brown, knowle mean :)
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One of the many reasons why I would never own a dog.
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You don't own a dog, they own you.
I can understand that if you feel no affinity to them, similar to me never wanting kids and having to put up with the hassle they bring. Rewarding in both cases if you desire them, not if you don't.
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"You don't own a dog, they own you."
Never fancied being owned by anyone or anything.
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>> One of the many reasons why I would never own a dog.
I wish someone would take ownership of my neighbours two dogs (preferably someone at least 100 miles away) as he doesn't seem to give two whoopee doo doo's about them.
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When you have two dogs there is no such thing as a lawn.
>>
We've only one and he's not too bad. There is one patch he likes to change direction when having a run around that's a bit muddy but that's it.
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Not much of a problem here, neither dog dig. Although a bone is stashed in the compost heap now and again.
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I leave the grass a wee bit long in the winter ( maybe 3" or so ) and that seems to be enough to stop the dog from churning it up.
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I've just taken advantage of the drying caused by stiff breezez nd cut ur grass. I'd love to think that was it, until Spring!
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>> I've just taken advantage of the drying caused by stiff breezez nd cut ur grass.
>> I'd love to think that was it, until Spring!
I was told that grass doesn't stop growing until the temperature drops below 5 centigrade.
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>> I was told that grass doesn't stop growing until the temperature drops below 5 centigrade.
>>
I believe that. My grass needs another cut.
In the spring I describe my first cut as haymaking. My roller mover just flattens it so I resort to using the strimmer.
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>> My grass needs another cut.
Just cut mine again this afternoon.
Mower cleaned afterwards and put away for the 2nd time. Thought I'd given it the last clean of the year a few weeks ago.
ps, hedge hog turds don't half wiff when they're sliced up by the mover. Phew.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 20 Nov 15 at 16:25
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( 11 Nov )
>> I believe that. My grass needs another cut.
>> In the spring I describe my first cut as haymaking. My roller mover just flattens
>> it so I resort to using the strimmer.
>>
19 Dec
It is a pleasant 60 degrees F here in Surrey so out with the mower!!!
Grass was dry enough for a cut and I have far more cuttings that I get in the spring.
Tomorrow the front lawn gets attacked.
Make hay... so to speak and I hope it willnot need the spring hay making.
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>> 19 Dec
>> It is a pleasant 60 degrees F here in Surrey so out with the mower!!!
I was up and out of the door at 06:30 this morning. It was spookily warm out there.
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>> I was up and out of the door at 06:30 this morning. It was spookily
>> warm out there.
Much the same north of Watford Gap. Wife has only just put the C/H on.
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My quince bushes are in flower already. Quite bizarre. If we get a proper cold snap, will that kill off the flowers, and will they flower again in the spring? I know naff all about gardening really, but I do like the explosion of red flowers the quince bushes give in the springtime.
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"If we get a proper cold snap, will that kill off the flowers,"
Yes
"and will they flower again in the spring?"
Yes but with perhaps a little less vigour than they normally do
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Thanks. This is what I was afeared of. Bah. I do love a vigorous flowering.
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Nice plant. Tough as old boots so it will survive no matter what.
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There were daffodils in my mum's West Sussex garden yesterday. Hard to see how the bulbs will recover enough to flower in the spring.
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No unlike shrubs they won't flower again in the spring. Hopefully some cold weather soon will stop too may more flowering.
Apple trees need a spell of cold to promote flowering and fruit growth so if you like apples let's hope for some cold weather
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Got a primrose out in my jardin. Saw one on my two-hour stroll yesterday, thought I wood 'ave seen more actually.
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I've heard 10°C. Not coincidentally, this is also the lowest temperature at which you can air-dry your washing. Evaporation through the leaves drives the transpiration stream that allows the plant to keep pulling nutrients up through the roots.
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The right answer is in the middle
Grass growth needs a temperature of over 6C for significant growth, but growth rate increases rapidly as the temperature goes from 6C up to 12-13C and then more slowly until the temperature reaches 20-25C which is then optimum temperature for growth
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"a bone is stashed in the compost heap now and again"
Well if that doesn't bring out BBD I don't know what will!! :-)
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Always handy when the dog does his poo on a bed of leaves!
Makes the pick up much easier!
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just mowed the lawn and at the same time the mower chopped up and hoovered the leaves form my pear tree, my three silver birch trees (bigguns) and the leaves from my vine.
Ah my vine, what a delight that thing is, except at this time of year. Its told me one thing tho, the crop from the english vineyards will be megga this year. The vine is at least 20 years old, here before we moved in. Under my care its been trained to cover the front lintel of the garage to the right, and to the left down one side of the garage with 8 side branches to cover the pergola I built. The main stem is about 6 inches diameter.
Never found out what type it was, but because its been cut and trained for decorative cover, and not cropping fruit, its always produced a lot of bunches of very small bitter little grapes. This year however its produced a lot (about 250) of bunches with much bigger grapes (half size of normal grapes) black and very sweet. Had I known and been prepared I would have harvested them and produced some grape juice, as it is they fall and get composted.
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>>just mowed the lawn and at the same time the mower chopped up and hoovered the leaves form my pear tree<< * laburnum tree here*
I must be getting Ian trained, despite starting work at 2.30am today he's just walked in grabbed a mug of tea and gone out to mow the lawn, all without me asking!
Pat
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You got it Ted:)
Pat
Edit: He's just read this over my shoulder and told me I can dominate him any time I like, one crack of the whip and apparently he's putty in my hands.
I really don't know what he's talking about!
Last edited by: Pat on Wed 11 Nov 15 at 16:39
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"Never found out what type it was"
Sound like it might be "Black Hamburg" which is the most commonly grown and about the hardiest variety of dessert grape.
www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/vitis-vinifera-black-hamburg-schiava-grossa/c******.1731/
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Black Hamburg
looking at the size and shape of leaves, yes thats about right
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I'm surprised they grow wild* as far north as the midlands. Does anyone know where they grow wild any further north.
* Well someone grew them at some point in our old next door neighbours garden, but the new neighbours left the garden to it's own devices.
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Grape vines will grow anywhere in England but ripening the grapes is the problem.
As the guy says Fife is the new Loire Valley.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11736496/Scotlands-first-wine-branded-undrinkable-by-critics.html
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Same problem with figs. Had a big leafy bush in our previous garden but it yielded maybe ten edible fruits in 12 years.
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>> Same problem with figs. Had a big leafy bush in our previous garden but it
>> yielded maybe ten edible fruits in 12 years.
>>
There is a fig tree in a front garden a few doors away that is overhanging the pavement.
The fruit looked nice and fat but the next day it had died off. Did cold weather cause it ??
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Actually I think I remember reading somewhere the romans grew them in durham.
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I bet they'd have tried anything to keep their spirits up while they were stuck there.
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I think they loved their wine wherever they were!
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>> Grape vines will grow anywhere in England but ripening the grapes is the problem.
Indeed, thats always been the issue with my grapes, but this year they are as black as I have ever seen them, and are fully ripe (squashy and sweet). However it is late in the season, but its continued mild this month so they have ripened late. Strangely the toms did not ripen on the vine, the plants died off so the fruits had to be ripened in brown bags indoors. But again very sweet.
>>As the guy says Fife is the new Loire Valley.
yeah right. However the south slopes of the north downs have exactly the same ground as the champagne region, being the edge of the same strata. Romans had vines up there before you could say Vino.
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Black and squashy grapes, Z ? There must be something your doctor can prescribe.
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>> Black and squashy grapes, Z ? There must be something your doctor can prescribe.
There's piles of things for that.
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Leave leaves? - R.P.
