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Leaf Shredders Buying Guide

Many people think leaves are a big pain. They're pretty to look at, but they are a lot of work to rake up each fall. But, if you don't rake them, they can create a huge mess on your lawn. It might take a bit of work, but leaves are well worth the effort. They contain valuable nutrients that plants love and they make excellent mulch. Here are the benefits and ways to use leaves in your garden.

Benefits of Leaves

Leaves are an excellent source of organic matter. As such, there are many benefits to using leaves in your garden. These benefits include:

• The leaves contain valuable nutrients that have traveled from the roots deep underground, up the tree, through the branches and to the leaves. When the leaves fall to the ground, these nutrients then become available for earthworms and other beneficial insects and microbes.
• As the leaves are worked into the soil, they help it to retain moisture.
• Leaves can be used as mulch to cover flower and garden beds over the winter months. This helps to protect roots close to the surface from frost and cold temperatures. To gain the most benefit from this option, the leaves should be about 6 inches deep.
• They are an excellent organic material to add to compost piles. The reason is that leaves have a high carbon content, which helps to balance out compost piles with a high nitrogen content. One item that has a high nitrogen content is grass clippings. Plus, the dryness of the leaves helps to absorb the moisture from the grass, so that your compost pile won't rot or become too smelly.
• Use them to make leaf mold. Leaf mold is actually a mulch that is extremely high in nutrients, in particular, calcium and magnesium. In addition, leaf mold can absorb 3-5 times its weight in water, which is about the same as peat moss. To make leaf mold, simply create a large pile of leaves that can be left whole or they can be shredded. Don't disturb the pile and after 1-3 years, you will have leaf mold. You can tell when it is ready because it will smell like you are walking through the woods when you come near it.

Tips For Shredding

Shredding leaves is very beneficial. Not only do the shredded leaves take up less room, but also they won't be able to form tight layers that prevent sunlight or water from getting through to the plants and soil beneath them. Finally, it's easier for microbes to break down the leaves and use the nutrients contained within. There are two ways to easily shred leaves. You can use a leaf shredder, or run a lawnmower several times over a pile of leaves.

A Note Of Caution

Despite the benefits of leaves, you still have to be careful. In particular:

• Watch out for walnut, eucalyptus and camphor laurel leaves. They will actually inhibit plant growth because of substances found in their leaves. If you do plan to use them, put them in with your compost pile. This will help the leaves to break down and mix in with other organic material that will greatly reduce the growth inhibitors in the leaves.
• The reason lawns become messy when leaves are not raked is that they can form a thick barrier that water can't penetrate. So, instead of allowing the water to reach the soil beneath, whole leaves actually stop the water. To get around this problem, it is important to shred your leaves first. Once the leaves are in tiny little bits, they don't form water barriers.
• If you would like to add leaves directly into soil instead of composting it first, simply add a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer along with the leaves. This fertilizer will help the leaves to break down and ensure that your soil receives as much as the nutrients as possible.

 

Ready to start shredding your leaves so that you can use them in your garden? Then, here is a leaf shredder to help you out.

The Deluxe Electric Leaf Shredder

This leaf shredder can do it all!  Most importantly, it turns the leaves into mulch quickly and easily. 

It converts eleven bags of leaves into one tidy bag of nutritious mulch. Most shredders can only handle dry leaves, but this deluxe shredder will also shred pine needles, grass clippings and paper, wet or dry!

Best of all, it has a quite, powerful, variable load electric motor (5 AMP to 8 AMP), so you have extra power when you need it

Specifications at a glance:

• Choice of 5 settings from coarse to super-fine;
• Multi-position hopper adjustment;
• Built-in bungee cord to attach a trash bag;
• Unique stand lets you slide a trash barrel underneath;
• 40-1/2" H x 26" diameter;
•  14" L power cord; and
•  Weighs only 17 lbs.

With the Deluxe Electric Leaf Shredder you can turn leaves into free mulch in a snap! So, get one today and start shredding!

 

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