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Why Did They Fertilize Over The Top of All The Leaves?
Why Did They Fertilize Over The Top of All The Leaves?
This is the time of year when leaves come raining down from all the deciduous trees and shrubs, since it is the end of the growing cycle for most of these plants. As days get shorter and shorter in the fall, it triggers a reaction in the plant that it is time for the leaves to stop taking in nutrients, change color and then drop to allow new buds to develop for the next year.
If you search the term, “rake or not to rake” you will find dozens of sites that discuss the advantages of mulching your leaves. Although, most rake them up, filling expensive yard waste bags, and lug them to the curb so that they can be picked-up by the trash company.
In the city where I live, the bags are relatively cheap, but each bag needs a sticker that costs about $3.00 per bag. I have seen 30 or 40 bags in front of some people’s lawns and, at $3.00 per bag, it can get really expensive quickly.
Should I grind up my leaves before I fertilize?
Of course, the better thing to do is to just run your mower across the lawn to grind up the leaves into small pieces less than the size of a dime. As long as there is about a half of an inch of grass showing through the leaves, your lawn will do all the work for you.
Earthworms will feed on the leaves and the microbes in the soil will feast on the leafy dinner. Depending on the amount of leaves that fall, you may have to double-cut the lawn or use a rake or leaf blower to spread the leaves across the lawn to eliminate any large piles.
One thing that will definitely help with the decomposition process is fertilizer, more specifically: nitrogen. Microbes do a better job of composting when they have nitrogen as food and will work faster composting the leaves. Your lawn will grow better and develop a healthier plant when the leaves are composted. It does not really matter if the lawn is fertilized before or after the lawn has been mowed.
If the fertilizer is applied as a granule, the leaves are relatively dry and the grass blades can still be seen through the leaf cover, the fertilizer will easily filter through the leaf cover. The same is true when applying a liquid application, although the liquid material will not filter through the leaves. As long as the leaves are mulched, though, the fertilizer will be used by the microbes even though the nitrogen is on the fallen leaves and not as much on the grass blades.
Mulching your leaves is a much better way of removing them. Do your lawn a favor this fall and give it plenty of food so that your lawn will be greener and healthier in the spring.
If you have questions about fertilizing over the leaves on your lawn, contact your neighborhood lawn care professional at Spring-Green.