Trees and leaves

[RYH64E]

It's that time of the year again, the trees are moulting and there're bloody leaves everywhere, I've just spent 3 hours raking, sweeping and using a lawnmower to hoover them up, then put them in builders bags to take down the tip. I filled 6 bags today and past experience suggests that will be par for the course for the next 6 weeks. I've got a leaf blower but it doesn't really help, imo. How do others deal with the problem? There's got to be an easier way than this.

[r44flyer]

Doesn't help with bagging, but put them on Gumtree and people will have them for compost and save you the trip to the tip.

[E31Shrew]

I feel your pain. I'm sure they're laughing at me
I rake in to a pile, cover with a plastic sheet for a week , then burn them

[RYH64E]

I've got four big Oaks and a Sweet Chestnut (plus sundry unidentifed small trees), there were 6 builders bags today and the Oaks have barely started, I need machinery!

Edited by RYH64E on Saturday 22 October 16:06

[Jaguar steve]

RYH64E said:

I've got four big Oaks and a Sweet Chestnut (plus sundry unidentifed small trees), there were 6 builders bags today and the Oaks have barely started, I need machinery!

Edited by RYH64E on Saturday 22 October 16:06

No you don't.

You need a 12 year old who hasn't had his pocket money yet, needs his bike fixing and who wants a lift to and from a mates sleep over tonight.

Sorted

[RYH64E]

Jaguar steve said:

No you don't.

You need a 12 year old who hasn't had his pocket money yet, needs his bike fixing and who wants a lift to and from a mates sleep over tonight.

Sorted

What I've got is a sixteen year old who thinks that manual labour is beneath him, and when he does help is more of a hindrance. Machinery would be more reliable, do a better job, and almost certainly work out cheaper.

[westberks]

RYH64E said:

What I've got is a sixteen year old who thinks that manual labour is beneath him, and when he does help is more of a hindrance. Machinery would be more reliable, do a better job, and almost certainly work out cheaper.

You need to trade him in for the latest model that is manufactured in China. Much more reliable and less prone to disrupt work practices.if you switch from a British 2000 model to a Chinese 2003 you don't believe the performance improvements.

I get back from a fortnight's holiday on Monday and can already envisage the work before me.

[Simpo Two]

In theory at least if you keep removing the leaves the soil will get poorer as nothing's being recycled.

[RYH64E]

Simpo Two said:

In theory at least if you keep removing the leaves the soil will get poorer as nothing's being recycled.

If I don't remove the leaves there'll be no grass left by spring, the garden will be 6" deep in leaves. I use a mulching lawn mower throughout the growing season which puts a fair bit of nutrients back into the soil, though the recent scarifying had ripped pretty much any grohnd covering out, plus it's fertilised regularly.

[anonymous-user]

Leave them damp and burn them gradually over the course of the day.

[MX5_Nuts]

Suck them up and collect with a lawnmower when ever its dry enough.

[Drive Blind]

Mower to hoover up.
Empty into brown bin(s).
Put bin(s) out to be emptied.
Repeat weekly until no more leaves.

[CoolHands]

Isn't there some kind of leaf munching machine you can buy? Like aborists use to chip tree branches etc

[Podie]

I use a leaf vac. Strangely therapeutic.

[MX5_Nuts]

Or one of these

[RYH64E]

Drive Blind said:

Mower to hoover up.
Empty into brown bin(s).
Put bin(s) out to be emptied.
Repeat weekly until no more leaves.

I filled 6 off 1m cubed builders bags today alone, and the leaves have only just started to fall, I'd need a dozen brown bins every week.

[RYH64E]

MX5_Nuts said:

Or one of these

That looks suitable, anyone used one?

[finlo]

-

RYH64E said:

That looks suitable, anyone used one?

Many years ago a woman (Maggie Thatchers ex Secretary) in our office upon seeing bills for our "Billy goat" phoned us up to ask who was responsible for the welfare/feeding of our Billy goat!

[thebraketester]

I usually hire 3 grab lorries to pick the mass of leaves from our lawns.

[Philemon]

RYH64E said:

That looks suitable, anyone used one?

I have 4. 3.5hp, 2 x 5hp, 8hp.

They are great but the 8hp is just too big and heavy for my garden. 3.5 is perfect for leaves but collection bag a tad too small. 5's are perfect and collected all the scarified debris.

Lawnmower doesn't work nearly as well.