For:
By: Daniel E. Mullins
Extension Horticulture Agent
Handling Leftover Landscape
Debris
The curbside pickup of storm debris produced by Hurricane Ivan is winding down. Hopefully most of the large, heavy objects such as tree limbs and stumps have been disposed of, or soon will be.
We are into the third month after the storm and like other residents, I have been busy dealing with hazardous trees, a worrisome leak and other important issues. Once the dead plant parts and household debris is finally gone and the roof and house interior is repaired, I will find myself still dealing with other kinds of debris.
Left behind are relatively small branches, leaf piles and sawdust from earlier jobs. During the hectic weeks after the storm, this debris was considered unimportant as there were more critical jobs to be done at the time.
During normal times – those that don’t include a hurricane, most
landscape debris can and should be recycled on the property. Consider what is left and try to use as
much as possible. Our sandy
Burning should not be an option or at least the last option, even if it is legal in your area. If a pile of woody debris is safely burned, large amounts of wood ash is sometimes left. Ashes, if not properly handled can complicate future gardening projects in the area where the burn occurred.
Wood ashes are highly alkaline and when overused, can raise the soil pH to a level above which some landscape plants can take up certain nutrients. A well informed user on the other hand, can recycle ashes by using them sparingly in certain situations. A breakdown of wood ashes might be of interest to some gardeners.
They are very alkaline, with a seventy percent calcium carbonate equivalent which is rapidly available. Wood ashes contain no nitrogen, as it is lost when wood is burned. There is one to two percent phosphorus, up to ten percent potassium, twenty percent calcium and about one percent magnesium.
Instead of burning or sending them to the landfill, fallen leaves and small twigs can be used directly as mulch or composted. Larger branches can be chipped and cut into smaller pieces for the same uses.
Though composting of surplus debris is a viable option, residents are sometimes discouraged by visions of the need for special compost bins, complicated mixtures, periodic temperature readings and regular turning of the material. Though these practices, properly carried out, can reduce the time required to make good compost, they are not absolutely necessary.
When composting large quantities of yard debris simply find an area of the landscape where it will not be unsightly and pile it up. The pile will eventually decompose and reduce to between fifteen and twenty percent of its original volume. This material can then be used as a peat moss substitute when preparing future flower, shrub or vegetable beds.
Another option is “composting in place.” This involves picking up the yard debris and moving it directly to a currently unused vegetable garden or landscape bed. Spread the debris up to six inches deep on the soil surface and till to mix it with the soil. Over time the soil microbes will break this organic material down to a form that can be used by future plantings.
The advantage to “composting in place” is that it is only handled once, actually twice, as compared to conventional composting where the material is handled many times before it is ultimately used.
That hurricane has done enough damage. Let’s try to salvage what we can by
keeping some of our organic matter at home. Properly managed, landscape debris can
help to grow plants and reduce the volume that is sent away.