The plentiful and colorful leaves of the fall season are a delightful display of nature’s beauty. Each year bright shades of red, orange and yellow blossom all over the trees and cascade down onto the grass below. While this may seem like nothing more than a lovely visual experience, those falling leaves can actually be used to make a powerful mulch that when applied to your garden or lawn can provide a rich source of nutrients.

The process to making compost is actually quite simple and is actually a common part of most people’s fall chores already. Gathering the leaves! By gathering up all of the fallen leaves into one area you’ll be able to prepare them to be worked into compost and helping your lawn to look great all season. Additionally, fallen leaves can block out incoming sunlight and shelter moisture that can lead to mold growth.

The second step in the composting process is to break down the leaves. The easiest way to do this is by using a shredder or chipper. If you don’t have one of these available you can use a common lawnmower to shred the leaves. If you do choose to use a lawnmower be sure to attach a bag for collection. The breaking down of the leaves is an important process that facilitates the fast decay and natural breakdown of the leaves. The more finely shredded the leaves, the more efficiently they’ll compost.

Composting leaves can take a great deal of time, sometimes up to two years! However once complete, you will have an exceptionally rich product that is perfect for use as a garden mulch. While you can compost leaves by themselves, you’ll get very little final substance as leaves breakdown to very small quantities of mulch alone. The best way to get a healthy amount of product for your effort is to add other organic materials to your compost bin. Coffee grounds and egg shells are common favorites to be added into the compost. The most effective composting ingredients involve a mixture of carbon and nitrogen. Leaves are a fantastic source of natural carbon so adding in a rich source of nitrogen will ensure you get the most out of your compost. Uncooked vegetables, green plant clippings and wood or bark are good choices to add some healthy nitrogen to your compost bin.

It’s important to maintain your compost by churning and mixing the compost every few months. This process allows fresh oxygen and air into the compost and helps facilitate the natural breakdown process of your compost materials. Diligent care and maintenance will produce a rich and thick compost that will last for many seasons and help your garden truly blossom! Once your compost is sufficiently broken down into a mulch-like consistency, it’s time to lay the mulch to prepare your garden or lawn.

Once the compost has fully matured it’s time to spread it on your lawn. Spreading the mulch should be done evenly and not cut your lawn or soil off from oxygen. If the compost is packed too tightly it will retain too much moisture and won’t allow the easy passage of air and oxygen.

Using an irrigation system such as drip irrigation to facilitate the blending of the compost and soil is a safe way to slowly introduce a rich mulch to the regular soil of your garden.

When growing a garden you should be diligent and caring using Irrigation Supplies and the adequate environment necessary for plants to flourish. This includes composting natural sources of nutrients for your plants to facilitate their growth and bolster their development. Additionally, providing Water Irrigation will be key to getting the most out of your home garden. Irrigation Supplies will be an important part of the nutrient spreading process as well as providing adequate sources of water to your garden.