Many do it in their garden in the fall. This can be costly, both in terms of plant health and pests to deal with.
Rain and cold can demotivate some people from maintaining their garden in the fall. And yet, it is essential to having a healthy garden in spring next year. For example, it is important to collect the leaves, continue mowing the lawn, but also, there is still time to plant pretty flowers to enjoy a colorful garden. If these garden tasks are known to garden owners, many adopt a practice that is not recommended by gardeners, and this could cause them a lot of problems!
Having a garden full of fruit trees is a real pleasure, especially during harvest season. However, with fall, it often happens that fruit falls to the ground or is not picked in time, ending up rotting on the spot. While it may seem harmless, or even a good idea, letting fruit rot in your garden can have unintended, and sometimes costly, consequences. Yann Lepape, a gardening expert from Travaux.com, warns of the consequences of this action which can be expensive.
“Collecting the fruit as soon as it falls from the tree is crucial. Not only does this prevent bad odors, but also the arrival of pests like wasps and rats, and it also prevents the uncontrolled germination of new trees in your garden”, explains Yann Lepape. “Not doing so could cost you several hundred euros,” he continues.
Rotting fruit also carries fungal and bacterial diseases, which can spread to your trees and plants. For example, fruit that rots on the ground encourages the development of fungi such as moniliosis, a disease that affects many fruit trees. It manifests itself as brown, soft spots on the fruits, which end up falling before maturity. Spores from these fungi can remain in the soil or on branches and contaminate future crops, compromising the long-term health of your trees.
If these diseases are left unchecked, they can require expensive treatments or even replacement of infected trees. This could be a significant investment in maintaining the health and productivity of your garden. For example, if your tree becomes sick, treatments are expensive and rarely effective. As for slaughter costs, they can quickly exceed 200 euros.
But that’s not all, rotting fruit can encourage the growth of weeds or even damage your lawn, “To avoid this, collect the fruit and throw it in a compost heap far from your house, or bring it landfill them if necessary” advises Yann Lepape. Those few minutes of pickup can save you a lot of hassle and expense! “Take advantage of this to transform healthy fruits into preserves, juices and compotes.”