A GARDENING expert has revealed an essential job that homeowners must do this September to prevent hundreds of pounds of damage to their lawn.
As Autumn approaches, fruit and leaves will start to fall from trees onto our gardens.
While you may be tempted to just leave this debris on the ground to rot away, James Lewis, expert gardener from MyBuilder.com, warned that if left untouched, rotting fruit can cause huge amounts of damage.
From attracting pests to causing new tree growths, dead fruits can lead to a variety of issues, and can even cause damage or death to trees.
James Lewis said: “It may seem like an unnecessary job to pick up fruit, but actually it can cost you a lot more time, energy, and even money, if you leave it.
“Unpleasant outcomes, like the smell it can cause, are one thing – but attracting rats or causing the death of your tree is entirely another. Pick up the fruit and dispose of it in a compost heap well away from your home, or take it to the tip if needed. It will save you many potential problems if you do.”
James advised removing fruits as soon as they fall, to avoid the following problems:
Wasps and other insects love rotten fruit so leaving fallen fruits on the ground could lead to stings and bites, meaning that you are unable to enjoy spending time in the garden as much.
Rotting fruit also attracts rats, as it is a great source of food for them.
Rat infestations can be costly to get rid of, with pest removal serives starting at around £100.
James revealed that fallen fruit is also a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria.
This can spread to trees and plants, causing them to become diseased.
The removal of a diseased tree can cost over £200, and treatment for diseased trees can also be extremely expensive.
If fallen fruit is not removed from underneath fruit trees, weeds are likely to grow.
This is because rotting fruit provides soil with rich organic matter that provides perfect growing material for weeds.
With September starting, so does autumn, and The Sun's Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine has a few tasks to keep you busy as the summer sun winds down.
1. Starting thinking about Spring bulbs
Its early bulb time! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fratillaries for something slightly different.
2. Remember the bees
Make sure you’re still looking after the bees with autumn flowering pollinators – like sedums, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
Maincrop potatoes are ready to dig up – make sure you get them all so they don’t get slug damage.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start to reduce the amount of mowing you do. GIve it an autumn feed, especially if you didn’t get round to it in Summer and start to rake to remove thatch.
5. Plant out new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take salvia cuttings
It’s as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and chucking it in a glass of water to see if it sprouts roots. Especially with tender Salvias which wont survive the winter.
7. Keep camelias well watered to make sure that buds form next year.
8. Keep on deadheading and watering your hanging baskets
They should keep going until the first frosts.
9. Get pumpkins Halloween ready
Remove any leaves shading pumpkins to make sure they’ll be ready for halloween – and make sure you keep watering them, they’re very thirsty.
10. Check on your pond
Net your pond to stop it filling with fallen leaves when the trees start to drop.
Whilst removing weeds can be done yourself and doesn’t cost much, it can be a time consuming job.
Fruit that has fallen onto your lawn blocks sunlight and air from reaching the grass, as well as the weight of the fruit flattening the blade.
This will cause damage to and can even kill your lawn.
After just a day, the fruit can cause the grass to turn yellow and after just two weeks, it can begin to die.
Lawn treatments can be extremely costly, and in the worst cases, re-turfing may be necessary.
Leaving dead fruits on the ground can lead to their seeds spreading rapidly, meaning new trees will grow.
If you don’t want your garden to turn into a forest, it’s best to remove the trees as soon as you can.
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