Lucky for all of us, there’s a way to take the hard work out of autumn while going “green” at the same time.  Instead of burning your leaves or bagging them and paying someone to throw them away, try mulching them.  Leaves contain phosphorus which encourages strong root development and resilience during winter.  Along with providing nutrients for your grass, mulched leaves help the soil retain moisture, protecting your yard from dry stretches next summer.  Not only does this make sure your grass is always greener, it means less wasteful watering later.

Mulching leaves is simple.  All you have to do is mow over them with whatever mower you have handy.  Don’t let the leaves pile up for too long before you mow, however, as a thick layer can smother the grass.  Once you start, it may take several passes to chop the leaves to a small enough size.  After the leaves are nicely sliced and diced, the worms and other insects take over the process.  As they break down the leaves, the energy and nutrients are released back into the lawn making it healthier than ever.

Don’t throw around money for fertilizer, instead throw around leaves and try this organic way to strengthen your yard this autumn.

The post Autumn Mulching appeared first on Dawes Arboretum.

Plastics

Plastic jugs stick around a landfill for one million years.  Plastic bags, like those used at the grocery store, could be on Earth for 20 to 1,000 years!

Paper Products

Newspapers take about six weeks to decompose, sheets of paper and paper towels two to four weeks, and some paper products over two months.

Metals

Aluminum cans could wait 80 to 200 years before completely decomposing.  Each soda can you toss could live longer than you do!  If recycled, it only takes around six weeks before it could be reused.

Glass

It can take over 500 years for glass to break down in a landfill, and over one million years in a body of water.

Styrofoam never decomposes.  It will be on Earth forever.

The post The Life Cycle of Trash appeared first on Dawes Arboretum.