How to Burn Wet Leaves

Burning the excess fallen or dried out leaves to clean the garden is not a tough task. However burning wet leaves is a challenging task because it produce excessive smoke and te moisture in them makes burning difficult. Do you want to know how to burn the wet leaves of the garden? 

There are various methods that you can choose to burn the wet leaves of the garden. Burning the leaves will make the whole garden healthy and fresher once again. In this guide, we have explored the effective ways to burn wet leaves, the risks and difficulties in burning them. So, learn these ways and be a smart gardener! 

Can you Burn Wet Leaves

Burning of wet leaves is although not recommended due to its potential environmental impacts. However, if it’s necessary then you can burn them in a fully flaming fire. After burning the leaves’ moisture, the excessive smoke and some carbon monoxide will be released, then there will be only a normal flame. However, once the moisture of leaves evaporates and the smoke becomes less dense, the fire becomes more flammable.

In this situation, you need to add more leaves into the fire, so that all the leaves will burn evenly and fire flames come in control. You can also add more fuel if you notice insufficient fire to burn the wet leaves. How long or wider the fire is depends on how wet the leaves are. Another way of gathering the wet leaves is by adding them in random packages and then burning them.

Best Practices When Burning Leaves

After deciding that you must have to burn the garden’s wet leaves, you need to to do it safely without harming other plants. The first and main thing you must consider before doing anything is to know if it is legal to burn wet leaves in your area. Many people always worry about “is there any legalities involves in burning wet leaves.” 

In some areas and countries, burning leaves or any other thing in the residential area is not allowed. So, taking permission will be better. Large smoke rising from your house will result in a big truck showing up in front of your house. The, you will have to pay a huge fine for burning the leaves in the resident area. After confirmation and taking permissions, here are some steps that you have to follow to burn the wet leaves of the garden:

Propane Burner

If you are going to burn the wet leaves of your garden, avoid using kerosene, accelerants, or gasoline. Because, they increase the smoke level and pollute the environment. The higher level of carbon monoxide adds to the environmental air and makes the air unbreathable. The usage of propane burner is recommended to burn the damp leaves. This burner ignites the wet leaves properly. Propane burners always control the temperature and do not pollute the environment. By using it, you will effectively burn the wet leaves of the garden.

Water Buckets

Open flames must be contained, and wet leaves spread embers after blowing up. If you want to control the fire, choosing a day when there will be no air or little air will be perfect. Make sure to fire the wet leaves on no air day because it will prevent the fire from going out of control. However, in case of the fire spread pour water with the help of water bucket to keep it wet. 

Metal Drums

If you are going to burn the wet or dry leaves, using the metal drum is best. It is the safest way to burn the leaves because it controls the fire from going out of control. The embers will also arise due to the metal drum. In addition, use a drum with holes in its sides to encourage air flow. Whereas, using a blower is also helpful because it stokes the burning fire.

Clear Area of Flammable

If you are using the thought-out pile, burning it can cause various problems like property damage or criminal charges. Whenever you go for burning the wet leaves, make sure to burn the leaves farther from the property. The burn pile must be 40 feet close to the trees and structures. Do not allow the burn pile to grow higher than your knees.

If you are burning leaves in the drum, then after that make sure to douse the flame immediately to prevent the environment from embers. Please consider the environment cleaning rules before burning the wet leaves at the house; you can also spray the hose in your surroundings. Keep the flammable objects away from the burning leaves and embers. By doing this, you can burn the wet leaves as much as you want.

How to Burn Wet Leaves Safely

Three ways will help you to burn the wet leaves. Always follow any method among them carefully to make the process successful. Let’s know what methods allow gardeners to get rid of wet leaves easily.

Method 1. Use a Propane Burner

The propane burner is one of the easiest ways to burn wet leaves. Most people prefer this method for burning leaves because it is easy and prevents environmental pollution. There are a lot of advantages to using the propane burner method. You only have to follow these steps:

First, you will have to spread the wet leaves in the garden or any place that must be dry. The purpose of spreading the leaves is to let them dry before burning to avoid the foul smell and smoke. After that, there are a lot of companies from where you can find the propane burner. Burner from Harbor Freight Tools company is recommended because their propane burner is of high quality. You will get a 5lb propane bottle; use it for burning the wet leaves.

When you see the leaves dry, collect them and take them farther from the resident area. Burn the leaves using the propane burner; after the process, if there is a residue left, pick it up later. Burning wet leaves by using the propane burner is the most effective way that most people prefer to use. You can also use this method to burn the wet leaves and get rid of them.

Method 2. Use 55-Gallon Metal Barrels

In this method, you must get a 55-gallon metal barrel with many holes in its side. Make sure the gallon has 10-15 holes big enough to provide ventilation to the air. Air will flow through each hole and help the fire burn all the leaves. It would help if you started a big fire in the metal barrels with wood to do that. When the fire starts, take the wet leaves before each barrel and let them dry.

Heating the leaves will make them start burning at some point. If you see there is not enough fire to burn the wet leaves, you can use blowers to stoke the flame of each barrel. There are also designated burn barrels that help the gardeners to burn the wet leaves. You can purchase them instead of the metal barrel and burn the leaves in it. Using the Behrens RB20 closed-lid burn barrel system will be best.

Method 3: Use a Blower

Using a blower to burn wet leaves is one of the oldest methods that old gardeners used. However, due to the new technology, most gardeners do not use it now. It is also a beneficial method that you can use to let the leaves dry and then burn them. There is a filtering bag and motor in the blower. The filtering bag catches all the wet leaves and helps to prevent the environment from smoky particles.

However, you can use a gasoline-powered or battery-operated blower for burning the leaves. If you want the best results, then use a battery-operated blower. This blower will also help you save money on gas and prevent the environment from a carbon footprint. So, if you do not want to use any new method to release the smoke into the environment, then using the blower is best. You can use the blower as follows:

• Firstly, collect the wet leaves that you want to burn.
• In the second step, place all the wet leaves in the blower bag and tie the top.
• In the third step, connect the blower to the power source, turn the machine on, and let the left burn.

The leaves will burn and will produce smoke in the bag. The bag will fill with smoke, and after burying the wet leaves, throw all the burnt leaves into the garden or in the garbage. It is one of the easiest methods that let people get rid of wet leaves.

Should You Burn Wet Leaves

Another question is “whether or not you can burn the wet leaves, ” which worries many people. Usually, burning wet leaves is not a good practice and you need to avoid it. But if they are too wet and disadvantageous to the garden, you want to get rid of them. Removing or burning them will be the best option, then.

If you live in a dry area, then burning the grass clippings and many wet leaves is safe, but they must not be dry. Take advantage of the season and area where burning is allowed, and eliminate all the wet leaves polluting your house. You can create bonfires because they are safe to burn wet leaves. Make sure to use a method that must be safe for the environment, plants, and living things. Take some precautions to let the fire be under-control.

(Expert-Tip: Burning wet leaves is not a good practice, so consider composting of wet leaves to get rid of them. As it an environment friendly practice and good for soil health.)

The Difficulties of Burning Wet Leaves

There are some difficulties that you will face while burning wet leaves. Some of them are as follows:

• Wet leaves are tricky to burn because it takes much longer to catch and collect them.
• Even if you collect them, they do not easily catch fire, and the fire does not spread easily on wet leaves.
• Due to the weak fire, you will find yourself in continuous rekindling.
• When they burn, many chemicals and nutrients in the moist leaves produce thick smoke. On the other hand, when you burn dry leaves, they do not have many chemicals, so they do not produce heavy and thicker smoke in the environment.

Risks Involve in Burning Leaves

There are some risks that you can face while burning wet leaves. Here are some of them:

• Burning leaves are very harmful to the breathing of the lungs.
• If any person or animal is allergic to fire, the fire will cause serious problems for that animal or person.
• Respiratory disorders or asthma can cause due to burnt leaves.
• Some hydrocarbons release in the burning leaves affects the lungs, nose, throat, and eyes.
• Research by doctors indicates that the long burning of leaves can cause lung cancer.
• If you do not take precautions before burning the wet leaves, you might face an out-of-control fire.

Conclusion

Burning the wet leaves is not as difficult as you might have thought.However, it requires careful considerations to avoid any harm or danger. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to get rid of the wet leaves because they cause problem for the garden plants. You can follow few simple methods to burn the wet leaves and get rid of them. I hope reading the article must help you with how you can burn wet leaves preventing its potential hazards!

FAQs

1. What is the Best Way to Burn Wet Leaves?

One of the easiest and most efficient ways to burn wet leaves is to use a large metal drum. It is safe and more contained than the burning of the pile. You can purchase the burn barrel to help burn the wet leaves safely.

2. What are the Problems of the Burning Leaves?

Various problems can cause by the burning of leaves. Burn the leaves by any method. That will produce major environmental pollutants and pollute the air. Hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are released in the process, which causes various problems to human health and organs. People can get allergies, and if the fire goes out of control, that can also harm the other properties.

3. Is Burning of Wet Leaves Considered a Safe Practice?

No, burning wet leaves is not a good practice as it may lead to various environmental and health problems. Because burning of wet leaves produce more smoke which is not god for environment and human health.