It’s that time of year again. As the weather turns cold the leaves start to fall, and in the last few weeks we’ve seen them coming down in force! For businesses this is a frustrating time of year, because as soon as they clear some leaves the ground seems covered again. And since leaves present a lot of hidden dangers to your business (including slip hazards, pest attraction and hiding other hazards), you’ll want to get rid of them as soon as possible. But there have been some debates recently over what should be done with collected leaves, so we wanted to go through the options with you today.
Leave Them
The new argument gaining traction at the moment is to let the leaves lie where they fall. This is because fallen leaves decompose, and when they do they provide valuable nutrients for the soil. They also provide a habitat for important insect species over the winter. However, the effects of this are really only seen in wooded areas – not in business parks or on commercial grounds. In fact, leaving fallen leaves on the surface of your lawns can actually do more harm than good, as it blocks out sunlight and traps excess moisture, which just damages your lawn in time for spring. It can also attract rats and mice, which is a bad look for your business. Not to mention that they can be washed away during heavy rains and clog drains, causing flooding in your car parks.
Mow Them
A mid-point to get the benefits of leaving your leaves but not having them lying around is to mow them. Rather than raking of blowing the leaves off the property, use a mulching lawnmower to mow the leaves. This shreds them into smaller pieces, which can then sink into the substance of the lawn. Just as grass clippings don’t add thatch in a lawn, neither will mown leaves. This allows the leaves to decompose (quicker) and release all of those nutrients, but stops them becoming a health hazard. Of course this approach depends on how many leaves you’re dealing with – you still might have to get rid of some after mowing!
Compost Them
If you happen to have a site big enough to warrant its own compost bin, then this can be the perfect option for your leaves. Leaves are rich in carbon, and can mix well with nitrogen-rich grass clippings for a very balanced compost pile. This means you get enriched soil at the other end, leading to happier plants next year. If you don’t have a compost pile of your own on site, your grounds maintenance company may have their own that you can donate leaves to, knowing that you will benefit from the compost they help produce.
Have Them Removed
Your third option is to have them taken away by a professional to be disposed of. At Pod Landscapes our leaf clearance includes a disposal service, so you won’t have to manage any leaf litter at any stage. We then transport all leaves toa designated recycling facility, where they are shredded and mulched to create compost. This means that the planet still gets all of those environmental benefits – but you don’t have to watch them decompose on your lawns!
At Pod Landscapes leaf clearance is one of our most common jobs at this time of year. Leaves keep us busy all winter round, but the work starts now. Because while the first few trees are just starting to drop their leaves, pretty soon you’ll see flurries of them settling on grass and in your car parks.
So, before that happens, get in touch to book your free, no-obligation consultation and get your leaf clearance plan in place. We can offer a regular leaf clearance service that includes safe and regulated disposal, so you never need to worry about leaves on your property again.
