October 15, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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PERMACULTURE
Breaking the mold
eaves fall
from trees
in our cities
and become a nui—
sance wherever they
land. Lubricating
driveways, clutter-
ing landscaping and
clogging drains, they
are cursed wherever
they interact with
the built environ-
ment. The National
Audubon Society estimates
that 8 million tons of leaves
are deposited in landfills ev-
ery year, which is a tragedy in
light of dead leaves’ purpose.
In the forest, leaves die to
regenerate the forest floor,
enriching the soil tilth and
nutrients as they become
humus (organic matter). Leaf
duff contains 50% to 80% of
the nutrients, predominantly
minerals, that a tree mines,
and the tilth (soil structure) is
improved by the lignins and
cellulose.
These plant fibers are
shredded by worms and tiny
bugs to fluff up the soil so air
‘ and water can pass through it
more freely. (Some species of
worm can drag this tattered
matter up to 6’ into the soil.)
It provides a rich growing me-
dium for the fungi so essential
to forest health. You can see
the white strands of fungal
mycelia on the forest floor
making a banquet of the leaf
WORKMANSHIP!
By ALEX
FETHIERE
litter; fungi are the
main actors in ren-
dering dead leaves.
Leafmold is a
concentration of this
resource that capi—
talizes on natural
in trace minerals,
and magnesium, and
is one of the best
amendments to en-
liven clay soil. Seattle’s Inter-
bay P-Patch reports improved
soil fertility after amendment
with leafmold.
In addition to bestowing mi-
cronutrients and soil structure,
leafmold is said to increase
water retention by 200% to
500%. One investigator found
it holds 4.5 times its weight in
water. Simply by heaping up
dead leaves to retain heat and
. moisture over the winter, we
encourage the slow decay that
prOduces fine, fragrant dufi' in
one to two years.
The rate of decomposition
and nutrient profile depends
on the leaves used. In our
region, I have found alder,
willow, cherry and cascara to
break down quickly, whereas
bigleaf maple is still identifi-
able as such over a year later.
Conifer needles are even
slower to break down, and
trees in the Juglans genus
like walnuts should not be in-
cluded in leafmold because of
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processes. It abounds
particularly calcium '
Thursday, Oct. .15, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A-13
allelopathic (harmful to most
plants) chemicals in their
composition.
Heaps of appropriate
leaves can be distributed
over raised beds or in-ground
plantings to weather into the
soil over winter. Leaves can
be mowed or weed-whacked
to speed their rot and reduce
their mobility. Leaf layers will
help prevent erosion and nu-
trient leaching. In the spring
one can plant directly into soil
after making clearings in the 1
remaining leaf layer.
Some folks even use a cou-
ple of feet of leaves to create
in situ root cellars, keeping
APR llX
all the
Peal-RS ‘ a
(«rim-fins
crops like carrots and beets
in the ground, protected from
frost damage. I suspect this
would encourage beasties
raiding the undercover larder.
Leafmold silos can be made-
of chicken wire fence-stapled
to wooden posts. They can be
closer to forest edges because
the feedstock is So much bulk-
ier than the finished product.
“Leaf boards,” simple 6-inch
x 24—inch pieces of plywood,
make it easier to scoop up
piles of raked leaves.
My silos are at least 4 feet
deep and placed over weedy
areas I want to smother. The
combination of nitrogen in
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i
The white filaments
show active fungal
decomposition, and across
the blade is a capillary root
thirsting for something in
this duff pocket.
Journal photo by Alex
Féthiére
the weeds and carbon in the
leaves will speed composting
and lure earthworms to agi-
tate the lot.
A word of caution, however.
Overzealous harvesting of leaf
litter undermines habitats of
forest critters and eventually
impoverishes forest soil. The
best collection sites are urban
or suburban, on sidestreets
where pollution is least and
leaves are wasted. You might
say the best collection site is a
curb in a quiet cul-de-sac: just
punch holes in the garbage
bag for air circulation, let in
some water and wait a year
or two.
When I take leaves from
the forest, I do it early in au-
tumn before the- trees have
disrobed completely. I collect
from basins where several
inches of leaves deposit. I
make sure to leave enough
that next year’s leafmold will
be just as rich.
I Alex Féthiére has lived on
Harstine Island long enough
to forget New York City, where
he built community gardens
and double-dug his suburban
sod into a victory garden. He
can be reached at 0nlandist@
gmail.com.
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