Good news for lawn mowing in fall

Q. Should I mow the leaves or remove them when I mow the lawn? --Jack, Stone Ridge 

A. It's great to have big shade trees in your yard. But, come fall, you can start to resent them. Those big trees drop leaves, and that can mean extra work, hassle and lost time.

However, there's good news. A recent study done at Michigan State University showed that you can forget about raking, blowing and bagging leaves. Instead, just mulch them with your lawn mower. If the amount of leaves is not too much, trying mowing them back into the lawn.

Mow in the direction the discharge opening is shooting. This helps to grind the leaves smaller and smaller. If there are more leaves than can be adequately mowed back into the lawn, the leaves can still be mowed with the bag on and put into a compost pile.

Ground leaves take up less space than leaves that are just raked. These ground-upped leaves will decay faster than those that are not. It is important to mow the leaves when they are dry with a mulching mower that has sharp mower blades.

When and how do I plant ginseng seeds? -- Brent, Shandaken 

A. Ginseng is most commonly grown from seed that is planted in the fall after the berries are harvested. The seeds need to go through a process called stratification. This is a cooling period and for ginseng, it can last up to a year and a half. Commercial dealers of seed often stratify the seed and sell it in the fall for planting.

This seed will germinate and grow the following spring. Ginseng needs shady, rich, moist but well-drained sites to grow well. A sloped area facing north is best. One of the tree species most commonly associated with good ginseng sites is yellow-poplar or tulip-tree. Sugar maple, American beech, American basswood, black walnut and yellow buckeye are also good indicators of moist, well-drained productive sites.

White ash, slippery elm and an occasional northern red oak can also be found on good sites. Most of the trees mentioned above produce leaves that decompose rapidly into a litter layer that provides a proper balance of nutrition and moisture-holding ability that is suitable for ginseng production. Avoid sites with a high percentages of oaks in the canopy. Oak litter tends to be fluffy, dries out quickly and does not break down rapidly.

Ginseng also needs a site that is 70– 80 percent shade. Plant seed one-fourth to one-half inch deep in a well prepared seed bed. Space seeds 1 to 6 inches apart in rows six to nine inches apart. Then cover seedbeds with 1 to 2 inches of mulch (e.g., shredded hardwood bark, leaves, weathered bark-sawdust, or straw) immediately after planting.

Dona M. Crawford is the community horticulture educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County.