Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Folly's place]

x2! I might mow one time later this fall, to chop them up a bit. Or not...
Years ago we had an ice storm fairly early, and all the maple and oak leave fell on our lawn at once. It was then impossible to either chop them or rake, 2" deep everywhere! I thought we'd be reseeding in spring, but the grass came up just fine. No more raking for me ever since!
Mary

 

[Sally PB]

No more raking for me ever since!

I used to hate raking. Now I see it a very valuable garden mulch, and it's not the onerous chore it one was.

I just wish that oak trees dropped their leaves like the maples! They're done now. Nope, I swear oak trees used to be exotic dancers in another life. They take it off just a bit at a time.

 

[fuzzi]

I mow the leaves that fall. I have a bag on my push mower, and when it's full I empty it in the coops, and on my garden beds as mulch.

 

[Folly's place]

Just don't plant a sycamore tree in your yard! We have one here, and it's big and beautiful. It drops branches, sometimes big ones, every time a wind blows. And it drops leaves at least nine moths of the year, really big leaves! It's beyond messy, and never stand under it in a breeze...
Mary

 

[Sally PB]

@Folly's place, did you know you can tap sycamore trees for sap to boil down to syrup? I've never done it, but heard that i has a wonderful butterscotch flavor.

 

[Folly's place]

I had no idea! And ONCE we did maple syrup, delicious, but it's 50 gallons of sap to one gallon of syrup. Took a long time and lots of fire wood, and since then we buy it instead.
I will look up the sycamore syrup though.
Mary

 

[fuzzi]

Just don't plant a sycamore tree in your yard! We have one here, and it's big and beautiful. It drops branches, sometimes big ones, every time a wind blows. And it drops leaves at least nine moths of the year, really big leaves! It's beyond messy, and never stand under it in a breeze...
Mary

Ha! We have a HUGE sycamore in the front yard, by the road. It's my main provider of leaves for compost, and branches for the burn pile.

 

[Folly's place]

Ours is next to the parking pad and garage, and it's a pain cleaning the leaves out of that area.
Mary

 

[Sally PB]

...and nobody has mentioned the sycamore seed balls...!

 

[Sammster]

So stop cleaning them up. They're incredibly value protection for soil insects, and no matter what lawn lovers say, they will not kill your grass.

We have too many. Plus - they blow into the neighbors yards