Control Leaf Litter With These Tips and Tricks

Fall in many parts of the world has come and gone again, with its beautiful colors radiating across the landscape. Trees are looking more barren, and their leaves are piling on the ground. While they make for a lovely playtime event for small children, the accumulation can be disruptive, getting in the way of walkways or piling in places they should not. Some think this “leaf litter” is unsightly. So, how can you control it, and, more importantly, should you?

What Is Leaf Litter?

Leaf litter describes any dead plant matter that has fallen to the ground. This primarily includes leaves, but it also comprises other materials from trees and shrubs, like needles, bark and twigs. While it may seem inconvenient for piles or debris to accumulate in your yard, the organic materials provide an essential function in the ecosystem. 

According to soil science, this top layer of the earth is called the organic horizon, or O-horizon. This space has three sublayers of materials. Debris that has yet to decompose rests at the top, partially dead leaf litter is in the middle, and completely decomposed materials are at the bottom. 

Every aspect contributes to a healthy soil composition. As everything dies, the nutrients cycle back into the earth, keeping it stable and resilient. Many people are unable to tell, but it fosters a strong food chain and the accumulation of productive microorganisms. In a way, leaf litter is like a fertilizer. 

So, what should people do with it, if anything at all? Sometimes, management is essential. Some people living in HOAs may have specific lawn expectations to adhere to, or the debris may accumulate to the point where certain areas of a garden or driveway become inaccessible. These are the best ways to tackle it.

1. Leave Leaves on the Ground

As mentioned, leaving leaf litter to naturally decompose is the best option for controlling it. It may seem counterintuitive, but your soil will be healthier if you let natural processes take hold. 

The earth relies on this cyclical process of debris fall to restore its strength every time the season comes around, and if people remove too much of it for any reason, the soil becomes unstable and stripped of nutrients. With the numerous negative influences impacting the planet, this one is easy to overlook — but it is incredibly important.

2. Rake Leaves into Landscape Beds

Even if leaves don’t look like they belong in your landscape beds, moving them aside can serve a valuable purpose. If you care about lawn growth, moving them somewhere where they can still decompose and feed the soil is ideal. But, at the same time, you can leave room open for light to reach the grass’s surface. It prevents smothering.

3. Use a Mulching Mower 

It is not always ideal to mow your lawn if you want to achieve healthier ecosystems. However, a mulching mower takes the leaves and chops them into smaller pieces. It makes it more aesthetically manageable while still giving the soil what it needs from the decomposition process.

4. Compost the Leaves

There is no greater way to utilize dying plant matter than for compost. Add it to any compost bin as part of your brown matter mixture. Eventually, it will become one of the most effective fertilizing tools in your garden.

5. Use Leaves as a Natural Mulch

Many people use mulch to control weeds or enhance the appearance of their landscaping. However, many options, such as rubber mulch, are extremely harmful to soil because they degrade and release chemicals and plastics into the soil. Leaves are a natural alternative, and they serve the same purpose while insulating plant roots from other environmental dangers.

6. Create a Leaf Mold

Leaf mold is a unique compost variant, and it specifically helps plants that love acidic pH environments. To create leaf mold, you’ll have to be patient — it can take longer than compost. Fortunately, you mostly set it and forget it.

7. Use Leaves to Make Leaf-Humus Tea

Compost tea is another common by-product of the anaerobic digestion process. As matter breaks down, it creates a liquid. Although it may appear dirty, it is rich in nutrients that should not go to waste. You can use the leaf-humus tea to water your plants or garden, supplementing other composting or fertilizing efforts.

8. Let Perennial Stems Hold Leaves in Place

If you live in an area prone to high winds or intense winter storms, leaving leaf litter in its place might be the best idea because it can contain perennial stems. Letting these take root could help stabilize garden beds if they are faced with intense pressures trying to rip them from the soil.

9. Add Twigs and Sticks to Weight Down Leaves

If you don’t like the fact that leaf litter is constantly blowing around and getting into doorways, windows or your car, then you can weigh it down with other sticks and wood. Fortunately, this provides multiple benefits. Small wildlife will happily make homes in these microenvironments and help leaves break down faster.

10. Use a Leaf Shredder

There is another device you can use other than a mower. A leaf shredder serves a similar purpose, but you just operate it differently. It is faster than creating compost or distributing mulch. It simply cuts tons of leaves into smaller pieces, making them easier to handle. It makes distributing them throughout your property more convenient, as opposed to raking and bundling unwieldy, oddly shaped leaves.

Leaf Litter Helps More Than It Hurts

Leaf litter is neither useless nor ugly — it serves a crucial purpose for helping the planet’s ecosystem and soil health. The Earth is stabilized by organic processes, such as leaf litter decomposition, so altering it for the sake of aesthetics is not the right path. With these tips, you can find ways to repurpose it to give back and restore the soil with what it needs to withstand the stressors of climate change.