What does leaf fall have in plant life? Great. Leaves have done their job of providing the tree with nutrients throughout spring and summer and can now go.
What does leaf fall have in plant life? The important thing. If the leaves remain on the trees or bushes, they will cause their death.
What does leaf fall have in plant life? Philosophical. Leaves die and make room for new shoots.
What does leaf fall have in plant life? Aesthetic. Falling leaves are the most beautiful phenomenon in the world of trees.
Autumn
The leaves of most shrubs and trees change color and fall off. They seem to compete in beauty. But in plants such as alder, young poplar, lilac, leaves do not change color until frost and remain green. And on the first snow they turn black.
Some grassy representatives - pansies, wild radish, shepherd's bag, annual bluegrass - bloom until late autumn.
Periodic events, such as flowering or leaf fall, in plants are caused by seasonal changes.
Winter
With the onset of autumn, all living things are preparing for winter. Plant life also freezes. In winter, they are at rest - they do not grow, do not eat, do not live fully, but exist. And with the onset of spring and the beginning of sap flow, plants gain new strength and are reborn. Surviving a long period of dormancy is made possible by the supply of nutrients that have been “taken care of,” including the leaves. With the onset of cold weather, they become unnecessary to plants. Moreover, they can cause their death.
The leaves evaporate moisture in the summer and could do it in the winter (as linen is dried in the cold). Thus, they would dehydrate the tree, and it would be doomed. Leaf fall in plant life is vital. Protecting themselves from drying out and death, trees and shrubs dump dead parts even before the onset of cold weather.
Autumn leaves
Before falling, they give nutrients to the plant. A cork forms at the base of the leaf petiole and it dies. Then it is separated from the branch under its own weight or from a gust of wind. The importance of leaf fall in plant life is difficult to overestimate. Without it, a huge part of the flora would die, only coniferous and tropical specimens would remain.
Evergreens
They are characterized by the unchanging color of the leaves. This does not mean that they live forever. In evergreen crops, leaf fall allows plants to constantly update. They lose dead parts throughout the growing season, like a person’s hair. In evergreens, old leaves fall off. Younger are kept in the same color.
Tropical evergreens are characterized by leaves, the vegetation duration of which is several years or months. Although there are specimens that briefly remain with bare trunks.
How many leaves live
Their life expectancy varies and can range from 14 days to 20 years. The leaves of perennials in comparison with the root and stems live significantly less. This is because they function very actively and do not have the ability to update.
In evergreens of central Russia, such as spruce and pine, needles fall after 5-7 years in the first and after 2-4 years in the second.
The duration of leaf fall is also uneven. In birch, this period lasts about two months, and only two weeks are enough for linden.
Why do leaves change color
The fact that the tree is preparing for winter, it becomes apparent by a change in the color of the leaves. They are magnificent in their wilting - yellow, red, brown, orange with various transitions and shades. It becomes sad when all this beauty flies around and covers the earth with a continuous carpet.
Leaf fall is a biological process that is embedded in the life and development of a plant. The intensity of all intracellular processes (photosynthesis, respiration) decreases, the content of nutrients (ribonucleic acid, nitrogen and potassium compounds) decreases. Hydrolysis begins to prevail over the synthesis of substances, cells accumulate decay products (calcium oxalate). More valuable plastic and mineral compounds from the leaves go into the plant's storage.
Most shrubs and trees turn crimson and yellow in the fall. Red shades are caused by the accumulation of anthocyanin pigment in the cells, which reacts to acid and changes color to a purple hue. In an alkaline environment, it would become bluish-blue.
The yellow color of the leaves depends on the pigments (carotene, xanthophyll) and cellular juice (flavones). So, very prosaically, the beauty of the autumn forest is explained.
Fertilizer
The role of leaf fall in plant life is very significant. It protects the roots from freezing. Lush forest litter, due to friability and the presence of a large amount of air, reduces the thermal conductivity of the soil and prevents its deep freezing in the winter.
In addition, it is quite moisture-absorbing, which is important for plants. Fallen leaves serve as a mulching material, protect the soil from erosion and prevent the formation of crust. Rotten, they improve the structure of the soil and attract earthworms.
Fallen leaves are a valuable organic fertilizer containing phosphorus, potassium, calcium, nitrogenous substances and minerals. Thus, favorable conditions for plants are created. Huge trees grow in the forests without any fertilizer.
Fallen leaves in the garden
A modern gardener does not appreciate the peasant experience of past years. He annually burns as much fertilizer and structural material as would be enough for compost and mulching. Some gardeners do not preserve leaves unknowingly, while others are afraid of the spread of infections. But if you approach this issue wisely, then all their fears are in vain.
The fact is that pathogens die when the compost ripens and is processed by earthworms. Therefore, it is advisable to lay the leaves of fruit crops to obtain humus, and leave a healthy pillow from under birch, linden, chestnut, maple, etc. for mulching for the next summer period.
Shelter of this kind will be a salvation for valuable plants in snowless winters. For example, for wild strawberries, daffodils, new plantings.
In the spring, fallen dry leaves can be mulched planting peppers, eggplant and tomatoes in greenhouses and greenhouses. These crops require dry air and moist soil. A thick layer of dry leaves will create the necessary microclimate, will become an obstacle to the growth of weeds, and all summer will delight the autumn landscape in a single greenhouse.
Early harvest
Valuable properties of leaf fall can be used for growing early crops of vegetables (cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, zucchini, etc.) or for accelerated planting of strawberry bushes and flowers. In the fall they prepare shallow shovels, bayonets, trenches. Then they are filled with healthy fallen leaves and spilled with a solution of slurry. On top put the juicy leaves of cabbage, root vegetables, etc. In this form, leave trenches for the winter. The excavated earth is left nearby in the form of a ridge.
During the winter, the contents of the trench will settle, be consumed with melt water, and condense. The land in the crest under the bright sun will thaw and warm up faster. As soon as the soil permits, the roller is raked into the trench and early vegetables are planted. You can build a small film tunnel over young plants to protect them from frost.