Somehow , the National Wildlife Federation ’s 2014 web log mail “ Leave the Leaves for Wildlife”has gone viral this class , and not just on the net . Its pop chore - relieving advice is being repeated widely on television , too .
unluckily , this part of the NWF ’s advice has n’t run viral – the qualifier :
A leaf bed several inches cryptic is a lifelike thingin any expanse where trees by nature grow . The foliage layer is its own mini ecosystem ! ( Emphasis certainly not in the original . )
So the leaf - leaving advice is aboutwoodlands , not gardens , and surely not lawn . And notice that the picture illustrate the mail shows disembodied , out - of - circumstance parting , not a garden . Yet the original account ends with this misdirect :
call back , the less time you have to expend doing the back - breaking work of raking up your leave , the more time you have to enjoy the gorgeous fall atmospheric condition outside and the wildlife visit your garden !
And the misdirect worked , turning this timber direction advice into really bad gardening advice .
Womensday , like theWeather Channeland many other sites , ingeminate the NWF ’s statements about benefits to wildlife and promise of less body of work , with no mention of the fact that this advice applies tonatural area , not actual yards . The stock photos complete the misdirect that turn the story into bad horticulture advice .
Above , another example , fromUpworthy . Also spreading bad advice?Science Daily .
Yet ! I found some news organizations that did some actual coverage .
AnNBC affiliate in Texasasked someone local who know something about gardening , a landscaping company owner :
East Texas ’ Wilhite Landscaping owner James Wilhite said lawns should still be kept up , though . ”Leaves are a very important part of our ecosystem and it ’s vex a place in the forest and you may have a instinctive field in your K where you ’d wish to set up home ground , ” aver proprietor James Wilhite . “ In the center of your lawn may not be the good place for habitat for wildlife . ”
technical school Timesadded an authoritative caution :
Fox in Minneapolisillustrated the floor with video of the great unwashed mulch - mowing their lawns and sagely note fungus from too many folio on lawn , and neighbors who may not approve of the no - raking look .
A author forHuffington Postdid an fantabulous chore :
But admittedly , a very thick layer of deadened leaves under certain conditionscould harm your lawn — especially if they ’ll be cover with nose candy all wintertime . fortuitously , there are alternatives that are still much more environmentally friendly than chucking them in the landfill .
For one , you canturn the leave into mulchby shred them with a lawn mower until they ’ve been chopped down intodime - sizing piecesand you’re able to see the sens through them . The smaller pieces can break down more quickly , andevidence suggeststhey’ll aid return nutrient to the soil and can even avail prevent weed ontogeny .
And the wise mass atDetroit Newsknew enough to consult an expert !
Rebecca Finneran , a horticulture pedagog with Michigan State University Extension , sees mulching as the way to go . Grinding up the leave of absence via a mower and letting the cadaver outride on the earth allows for the benefits of fertilization , without the bushed spots in a lawn that might occur if leaf ride in place all winter .
“ You pulverise the leaves into little tiny piece , ” she said . “ They sieve down around the sod plants and provide food … It ends up being very good to lawns . ”
When leaves are allowed to sit during an extended point of time in the wintertime , they produce problem for owners to deal with in the saltation .
“ They do n’t wipe out the lawn , but they tend to smother patches of it out , ” Finneran say .
Another work stoppage against the Wildlife Fund ’s testimonial : Heavy , wet leaves can constipate storm drain , which can head to backups and flooding . Many municipality ask resident physician to help keep drains clear of leaves in the pin .
For more information on mulching , MSU Extension proffer a variety oftips .
The lesson here may be that gardeners should be wary of garden advice from expert in somethingother than garden . Theauthorof the NWF blog mail is , after all , “ a natural scientist , source , blogger and national medium personality with National Wildlife Federation . ”
More intelligence electrical outlet should be mistrustful , too , and maybe next time charter an genuine garden author to do the tale .
