Unfortunately, “eventually” can be a long time for live oak leaves. Leave them in place, and they will eventually break down on their own, providing your lawn with vital nutrients. Unlike some other types of leaves, live oak leaves are unlikely to prevent your lawn from “breathing,” encourage disease or serve as an open invitation to insect pests. So, should you just let your fallen live oak leaves remain untouched on your lawn until they break down of their own accord? You can. What kind of nutritional value? Well, for example, research has found that leaves can contain as much nitrogen as cow manure that has been composted for use as an organic fertilizer…and it smells a lot better, too! What oak leaves do have is nutritional value that will be transferred to your soil as the leaves decay. The bottom line is that multiple studies have shown that oak leaves (even in large quantities) have no effect on the acidity of soil. However, as they break down, they get much closer to neutral. When oak leaves are fresh, they possess a pH level of around 4.5 to 4.7, making them acidic. Before you run out to your yard to clear them away, though, let us explain a bit further. The short answer is that, yes, oak leaves are acidic. There’s a short answer to this question and a long one. Most of them come down to using the leaves instead of having them hauled away.īefore we dive into that, though, let’s talk about a fear that may be gnawing at you: the acidity of fallen oak leaves and the possibility of it hurting your lawn. In fact, there is not only a better solution, but several options. In the past, you may have simply raked up the leaves and put them in bags. Moreover, you might have heard that oak leaves are acidic and worry they will damage your grass or soil if you don’t get rid of them quickly. No matter how long you’ve had oak trees, if you’re like a lot of people, you’re probably not a huge fan of having dead leaves cover that beautiful lawn you’ve spent so much time on.
While oaks give us wonderful shade from the intense sun, they do give us lots of other things during the year: leaves. Girdling kills millions of our Upstate trees every year! Most of these problems can be corrected, if you don’t wait until it’s too late.Newcomers to Texas and other parts of the country where oaks are prevalent are surprised to learn that these stately trees lose their leaves in the spring rather than during the fall. If you can not see your trees’ root flares, they may already be girdled. Running over surface roots with your mower is not a sign of good health (or good for your mower). Often, infected trees have more serious problems related to installation and cultural practices. For small or stressed trees, as well as high-value larger specimens, we can treat these systemically.ģ. For medium or large healthy trees, control may not be needed.Ģ. Severe outbreaks rarely last more than a few years due to natural enemies. While several broadleaf species may be vulnerable, they prefer red oaks especially pin and willow oak.Ĭaterpillars are easily identified 1 ½ to 2 inches long, black, with spins (horns) on its head, with 8 thin yellow to orange strips on it back.ġ.
If it’s late in the season, it may just wait until spring. Even if they entirely strip a small tree, if it is moderately healthy, it will put on another crop of leaves. Other than munching on your leaves, and squashing under your feet, not a whole lot. Thankfully, there is only one generation a year. After feeding is complete, mature larvae pupate in the soil, where they spend the winter. Caterpillars feed 5 to 6 weeks in July through September (and sometimes into October). Orange-stripped oak worm ( Anisota senatoria).Īdults lay their eggs on the underside of leaves June to July.
Huge, 2-inch long, ugly, black caterpillars crawling all over the place especially up and down your oaks, and everywhere in between! Oak leaves disappearing (but not falling) in August through October. You may have a minor to moderate pest problem. If the leaves of your pin oaks & willow oaks seem to be ‘disappearing’, this may not be your imagination.
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