Mario Bautista
Autumn is in the air in Middle Tennessee, and if you’ve taken a walk outside lately, you might have noticed the carpet of leaves just beginning to cover the ground.
Fall’s colorful foliage not only signals the change of the seasons, but it’s also an important indicator of our trees’ health. Even better? Leaving the leaves on the ground can – in most cases – make your yard even healthier.
Maples, sycamores and tulip poplars are among the Nashville area’s many deciduous trees that put on a stunning show each fall. When those flame-hued leaves start to drop around mid to late September, the leaves can provide critical nutrients to the soil as they decompose. Fallen autumn leaves also provide a habitat and shelter to beneficial pollinators and local wildlife that call your yard home.
Fallen leaves help the soil retain moisture, which is going to be especially vital this year.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Tennessee is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions. When water is scarce, trees experience stress that weakens and can eventually kill them. While store-bought mulch can similarly help the soil retain moisture, the fallen leaves from your existing healthy trees can provide a cost-efficient replacement.
While “leaving the leaves” provides all of these benefits and many others, it’s important to assess the leaves and trees in your yard to ensure not raking is right for you. Not every yard is the right fit for a no-rake plan.
Namely, if your leaves show signs of disease or fungal infections, leaving them in the yard risks spreading the infection to other trees, shrubs, and landscape plants. Three common diseases in our area include:
*Powdery mildew – The signs of this fungal infection include a white or grayish powdery growth on your plants’ leaves, stems, and buds. It harms plants by reducing photosynthesis, causing premature leaf drop.
*Leaf spot – This term can describe several different fungi and bacteria that cause spots, blotches, rings, and holes in the leaf. This condition can increase in fall when the cooler, wet weather rolls in, leading to leaves turning yellow or brown and falling too soon.
*Tar spot – Maples are one of autumn’s stars with their vibrant colors, but tar spot dampens their shine with black, tar-like spots. These spots can eventually cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop off.
If diseased leaves are present in your yard, rake and dispose of the fallen leaves; do not compost them. Prune any diseased or dead branches to reduce the risk of disease spreading on the tree. When you’re done, clean your rake and any pruning tools used with warm, soapy water and a water-bleach solution to avoid spreading the disease to other plants in your yard.
For continued care, water and fertilize your trees according to their needs, and have an arborist inspect your trees annually for any signs of issues.
For yards with healthy fallen foliage, you can leave the leaves in any landscaping beds they may have already fallen into. On the lawn, fallen leaves may be raked and added as mulch in landscaping beds or beneath trees. Mulch in an even layer of 2-3 inches around your tree, avoiding “volcano mulching” or mulching in a conical pile high against the trunk. This method will ensure your trees retain the moisture and nutrients they need to thrive all winter.
When it comes to healthy trees, remember that a certified arborist like the experts at Davey Tree’s Nashville office can help you inspect, diagnose and develop a treatment plan that keeps your landscape vibrant and thriving for years to come.
Lukas Suzano is an arborist withDavey Tree in Nashville. The Davey Tree Expert Company provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting forresidential,utility,commercial andenvironmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. Davey has over 12,000 employees and is the ninth largestemployee-owned company in the U.S.
