Little Bit of Green

Each fall one of the most celebrated and iconic natural displays is the changing colors of leaves. This beautiful visual show of natural color comes out in bright splashes of red, orange and yellow just before the leaves begin to fall for winter. What many don’t know is that those falling leaves can actually be applied to your lawn or garden as powerful compost to help boost your plant growth!

Making compost is fairly simple. The first step to making an effective compost is to gather the leaves. Gathering the leaves from your yard is not only an important step in composting but it will also help keep your lawn healthy. Leaves left to rot on an open lawn can cause the growth and development of mold and other unsavory lawn offenders. Additionally, leaves are largely responsible for blocking out much-needed sunlight from lawns and depriving them of oxygen.

Next, you’ll want to break down the leaves that you just gathered. This is most easily achieved with the use of a shredder. If you don’t have a shredder available you can easily use a lawn mower with attached bag to chop the leaves into smaller bits. Ensuring that the shredded leaves are neatly gathered after the shredding is key to this step.

Composting leaves can take a great deal of time, sometimes up to two years! However once complete, you will have an exceptionally rich product that is perfect for use as a garden mulch. While you can compost leaves by themselves, you’ll get very little final substance as leaves breakdown to very small quantities of mulch alone. The best way to get a healthy amount of product for your effort is to add other organic materials to your compost bin. Coffee grounds and egg shells are common favorites to be added into the compost. The most effective composting ingredients involve a mixture of carbon and nitrogen. Leaves are a fantastic source of natural carbon so adding in a rich source of nitrogen will ensure you get the most out of your compost. Uncooked vegetables, green plant clippings and wood or bark are good choices to add some healthy nitrogen to your compost bin.

Churning and stirring the compost materials is important. Once a month you should take a few minutes to stir the compost. This will allow fresh oxygen and air to pass through the compost and help to further facilitate the decomposition of materials. When laying compost you want to be sure that the weight of the compost layer on the soil is no heavier than a plant sprout would be able to break through. Additionally, the texture of the laid compost should be fluffy and gentle. If your compost layer is thick and matted it will restrict the growth of your plants.

Once the compost is ready you can begin applying it to your garden or lawn. The best way to apply compost is to spread it evenly and lightly. Make sure you don’t use too much compost or pack it too tightly as this will cut off the oxygen from your lawn or garden.

Consider the use of garden irrigation to provide constant and accurate supply of water in addition to your nutrient and compost usage. Precision irrigation such as drip irrigation can be an extremely effective way to get the most out of your garden and provide all of the vital elements necessary for great plant growth and development!

When growing a garden you should be diligent and caring using Irrigation Supplies and the adequate environment necessary for plants to flourish. This includes composting natural sources of nutrients for your plants to facilitate their growth and bolster their development. Additionally, providing Water Irrigation will be key to getting the most out of your home garden. Water Irrigation will be an important part of the nutrient spreading process as well as providing adequate sources of water to your garden.

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