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Fall leaf management and pumpkin tips

By John Fulton

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[October 22, 2013]  The dry finish to the summer months of 2013 has caused early leaf drop from several trees. Of course the calendar is probably indicating many more leaves will be dropping in the near future. Here are options on what can be done with the leaves.

If you decide to let nature take its course, letting leaves lie brings benefits and some problems. Many of the benefits are associated with your labor, or lack of it. The major non-labor benefit is that when leaves collect in flower beds and around shrubs, they provide a mulch for those plants. Problems generally develop where deep piles of leaves may smother grass or harbor diseases, causing large dead areas to deal with next spring. Of course if you are the only resident in a neighborhood who doesn't rake leaves, you may be talked about at many social functions this fall.

Removing leaves is generally done by raking or bagging with a mower attachment. This makes your lawn look neat, prevents problems for lawns and gives you a workout if you are manually raking. The main problems are the time, labor and disposal of the leaves when they are piled.

Chopping leaves means reducing the size. Benefits include less smothering, quicker breakdown and less labor. The main drawback comes with deep piles that still should be removed because of trouble in shredding and the resulting smothering of grass.

One thing to consider is the type of leaves. There is a huge difference in oak leaves and silver maple leaves. It's difficult to have smothering problems with oak leaves, while silver maple leaves may smother with a very thin layer. Many green leaves were blown down with recent winds. These green leaves will tend to smother more than the dry, rigid types will.

What do you do with the leaves you've accumulated? There are several possibilities.

Many municipalities prohibit burning for the most part. Besides the fire risk, the respiratory issues for affected people can be life-threatening. Raking leaves into the street, unless requested by the city for cleanup, usually results in clogging storm sewers.

Options remaining include composting, using as a mulch, tilling into garden and bed areas, and hauling to a municipal landscape recycling center. There may even be some private collection services that will take bagged leaves to a recycling center.

Partial composting, and the subsequent use as mulch, is one of the best solutions. Simply construct an enclosure at least 2 feet cubed, place leaves in it, and cover the top with hardware cloth or wire laid on it and weighted down. The resulting mulch may be used next spring on flower beds, gardens, around trees and shrubs, or spread back on gardens or lawns. Before you use the mulch around the house, read the note below.

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One thing to consider is removing the leaves from around the foundation of the house. The decaying leaves provide a hiding place or food sources for nuisance pests such as ladybugs and millipedes. Removal from directly around the house may reduce the number of these insects making their way into your home.

Pumpkin tips

If you are growing your own, make sure you watch your pumpkins and squash as you harvest them. Here are some rules for selecting pumpkins:

  • Choose a pumpkin with a stem, but never carry it by the stem. Pumpkins without a stem will not last long.

  • Select a pumpkin with a flat bottom so it will stand upright.

  • Avoid pumpkins with holes, cuts or soft spots. These areas will rot.

  • Light-colored pumpkins are easier to carve because the skin is not as hard as darker orange ones, but they will not keep as well.

  • Wash the pumpkin with warm water and let it dry before carving. Use of a small amount of dishwashing soap in the warm water may help extend the life of the pumpkin.

  • To make the pumpkin last longer, keep it in a cool place until ready to carve. After carving, coat the cuts with petroleum jelly.

  • Carving should only be done three days ahead of Halloween. After cutting, the pumpkin will deteriorate rapidly.

  • The use of a candle in the pumpkin will also make it deteriorate rapidly.

[By JOHN FULTON, University of Illinois Extension]

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