Moiris said:So you do this instead of cleaning up the dead leaves in order to control pests and disease? Other than being easier on a large scale are there any benefits over hand cleaning?
I think burning actually does far less damage to the plants than hand cleaning does. Most herbaceous plants are largely unaffected by fire (many actually grow better after being burned), provided it doesn't occur in the main part of the growing season.
Most of my neighbors have pin oak trees, so my iris beds accumulate tremendous amounts of leaves over the winter. There are really only two options to get rid of them, either set them on fire or drag out the big leaf blower. Burning is much quicker and more effective, and I do think there are some additional benefits as well. A few of my neighbors are alarmed by the sight of me setting the yard on fire
, though, so I tend to only do it with the smaller beds. That way, by the time anyone realizes what I'm doing, it's already over.
