Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510250004
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Before you throw your hands up in despair about having to rake and dispose of all those leaves in your yard or blowing in from the neighbors, consider these suggestions for using leaves from Deborah Moore Clark, Virginia cooperative extension master gardener in Roanoke and member of our Backyard Compost Demonstration Site management team.
To speed the conversion of leaves into humus as well as to make them take up less volume, shred leaves with your lawn mower. To do this, pile dry leaves a few inches high and go over them several times with the mower.
Spread leaves, mixed with grass clippings, around trees and shrubs in the fall as a mulch. Depth should be 2-3 inches.
Layer leaves into your compost pile where they will break down into a dark, crumbly material in a short while. Consider leaves as "brown" material and alternate them in your compost bin with "greens," such as chemical-free grass clippings, chopped up fresh remains from the vegetable or flower garden, and vegetable food wastes.
Till leaves into the garden (and annual flower beds) in the fall. (Spread about a 2-3-inch layer.) By spring the organic materials should be decomposed and blended into the soil, which should thus be looser and healthier for spring planting.
Sheet compost. Spread a 3-4-inch layer of leaves plus other organic materials over the soil and then cover with a 2-inch layer of garden soil. Allow the organic material to decay at least three months before cultivating in mid- to late spring.
Fill the paths between raised garden beds with leaves.
Use bags of leaves as insulation around cold frames.
If you live in a heavily wooded or naturalized area, simply allow leaves to remain on the ground where they fall so they can decompose and return to the soil naturally.
Composting help
For help with composting, call The Clean Valley Council at 345-5523 and register for one of the backyard composting demonstrations scheduled in Roanoke: Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturday at 10 a.m.
New Green Line number
Consumer horticulture phone calls to the Roanoke City Extension Office should now be placed to 857-6208, which is a new phone line established for the "Green Line" answered by Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Remember that long distance calls cannot be returned.
Fall tree-care program
Mark your calendar for a tree-care program for homeowners in Roanoke on Nov. 9, 8:30 a.m.-noon, in the large meeting room in the Roanoke County Brambleton Center, 3738 Brambleton Ave. S.W.
Topics will include: "Your Valley Council of Professional Arborists," presented by Jon Vest, extension agent, Roanoke County; and "Fire Wise Landscaping" by Bob Boeren, state forester in Roanoke County.
Other topics by tree experts Include: "Plant Health Care," "Choosing an Arborist" and "Pre and Post Construction Tree Care." There will be a $3 fee per participant. Registration is required by calling the Roanoke County Extension Office at (540) 772-7524 by Nov. 6.
Q: What is the best temperature in the winter for a Norfolk Island Pine? A.S., Buena Vista
A: Norfolk Island Pine is in the group of plants we grow indoors that need lower temperatures during fall and winter than they experienced during spring and summer. Thus, 50-60 degrees F in full winter sunshine would be fine.
Q: Most of our yard waste at this time of year is the stalky remains of tall perennials and corn, and then, there will be great piles of maple leaves. Can such materials be successfully plowed into the garden without being chopped? E.G., Blacksburg
A: You will find that much of the so-called yard wastes whose pieces are larger than about 2-4 inches will be very slow to decompose and will still be present in the spring when planting time arrives. Also, whole vines and stalks tend to get wrapped around the tines of the garden tiller.
Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to al l letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered during the weeks that the subject is timely. Personal replies cannot be given.
Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples or pictures.
by CNB