Save Time and Money with Chop and Drop

Gardeners with perennial flower gardens might already have a go-to method for readying their beds for fall and winter, but there are new ecological friendly ways to clean up your plot that are more in tune with nature.

Chop and Drop is exactly what it sounds like. You chop (or cut) dead plant material, then drop it to the ground. Usually done at the end of a growing season, you can practice this method at any time during the growing cycle. Some gardeners like to cut their dead material in the early spring after leaving dead stems for insects to overwinter. But the debris left behind from Chop and Drop will also offer protection for overwintering fauna.

Originally a permaculture (method to match natural ecosystems) technique, more and more people are waking up to the super easy mulching method of Chop and Drop. Plants, after their growing season, are cut down and left to decompose on the surface, acting as a natural insulating mulch. Maybe you have been doing this already and didn’t realize it was a “thing”?

Sign at The Newt in the UK on their maintenance method – Chop and Drop

Saving time and effort compared to cutting back, removing the debris, and maybe composting it or just disposing of it in the trash, the debris acts as an surface protectant and enriches the soil. Using battery powered sheers or hand pruners, you can make quick work of cutting back a large area.

Chopped up debris is left to mulch the ground

Releasing nutrients back into the soil as it decomposes, Chop and Drop suppresses weeds, holds in moisture, and protects soil from erosion. Plus you aren’t disturbing the soil and promoting weed regrowth by bringing buried seeds to the surface.

If you have large stems, it helps to chop up your stems into smaller pieces as this will speed up the decomposition process.

Chop and Drop isn’t the neatest way to garden and if you like a tidy immaculate garden, you will probably be happier with a regular mulched garden. But, with the latest gardening trend in ‘rewilding’ Chop and Drop fits right in with the most ecological and sustainable method of gardening. Less work and better for the environment!