Leaves are Falling on Your Lawn?

Now that the temperatures are beginning to drop, here in Pinellas County, so are the leaves. Did you know that allowing the leaves to stay on the lawn can greatly improve the health of your trees, landscape and lawn?

     Each fall, homeowners spend hours raking, and bagging all of the leaves from their yards, only to put them curbside to be taken to the landfill. Each spring, those same homeowners spend lots of money to fertilize their lawn, landscape and trees with fertilizers that may not even be what the tree needs. This cycle of stripping the soil of the natural nutrients, and replacing them with artificial, and unnecessary chemicals can lead to many different problems in the future. 
     Leaves are packed with trace minerals that trees draw up from deep in the soil. When allowed to remain on your yard, leaves feed earthworms and beneficial microbes. They lighten heavy soils and help sandy soils retain moisture. They make an attractive mulch. They're also a great source of carbon to balance the nitrogen in the soil. And they insulate tender plants from cold.
     Allowing leaves to breakdown in the landscape is a great way to 'build soil'. Florida soil is made up primarily of sand. Sand, by itself, does not retain moisture or nutrients for long, as they leach through the sand quickly. As leaves begin to breakdown, or 'compost' they retain moisture, allowing it to be more readily available to the trees, plants and grass in your landscape. As they compost further they create beneficial, natural, nutrients and they're free!

Skip the Rake! Leave the Leaves!!