5 good ideas for your autum leaves

The Florilege team suggests 5 ways to combine business with pleasure and change the color of this annual chore. But sooner or later, they will end up on the ground.

So what should we do with them this year?

1. Do something useful… for the kids!

Make a nice pile of your leaves in front of the house and invite the kids in the neighborhood to jump in! Add a little sign inviting them to play in it. Then watch the joy you created for them.

2. Go for leaf-cycling

Leaf recycling is an environmentally friendly practice to adopt. It simply involves shredding dead leaves instead of collecting them in the fall. . In addition to requiring less effort, this method ensures a natural fertilizer that will enrich your lawn or your spaces.

Note, however, that if you are placing the leaves in your flower beds (especially for plants that you are protecting with a Styrofoam pot or canvas), it is necessary to use dry leaves. . If you pile up wet leaves, it will not dry, or only slightly, and it could lead to rotting or even create an ice pack as soon as the first frosts occur. . Moreover, the air will not circulate and your plant will suffocate.

To use dry leaves, just wait for the sun to do the job!

To move your leaves easily from point A (under the tree for example) to point B (in the flower bed), spread a tarp or a sheet on the ground and scrape the leaves to the center. By picking up the 4 corners, you will be able to move the leaves without spreading them all over the place!

3. Think prevention for the next season

If your trees or shrubs have been affected by a disease, it’s best to pick them up and place them in bags to avoid contaminating the soil and other plants for the next season. code code code code code code code code Most cities and boroughs offer a fall leaf collection. In the Florilège area, in the heart of Montreal’s South-West borough, the info is here.

4. Compost

If you make your own compost, take the opportunity to make a reserve of leaves that will be an excellent material to complete the carbon ratio you need. Provide a bin or make a small enclosure with chicken wire or cage. You don’t want it to be airtight; you just want a place to accumulate the leaves without them flying away.

5. Be creative!

Want to bring those colorful bouquets inside? Need to keep the kids busy? Autumn leaves are the perfect material to stimulate the creativity of young and old! Mandalas, animals, front door decorations, mobiles, candle holders, bowls, masks, prints, etc. . Hop on Pinterest and simply enter the words “fall leaves“…something to occupy your coolest days when you don’t feel like putting your nose outside!

Or… nothing at all?

If you decide to leave the leaves on the ground without doing anything, the leaf cover may be too thick and may cause some damage to the lawn. You may need to seed early in the spring to repair any minor damage.

Have a great fall!