Using fallen leaves as mulch can benefit your landscape or garden. Leaf mulch is a goldmine for your garden and this organic material helps soil hold moisture, while also providing habitat for arthropods, earthworms, and a plethora of beneficial microorganisms. If you have the luxury of storing green fallen leaves for garden, you can reduce carbon footprint by stockpiling this type of leaf supply and using them as spring leaf mulch.
Keep reading to understand how a mound of leaves can offer your garden some wonderful benefits and how to make and use leaf mulch.
What is Leaf Mulch?
Leaf mulch or a mound of leaves works as natural mulch that you create in fall and into winter so that you can use it the following spring and summer. These mulch leaves are shredded and then applied to the surface of the soil. By simply using a mulcher for leaves, you have great organic mulch ready that can be easily used in the garden, on lawns, and around trees and shrubs.
Leaf Mulch Benefits
Mulching leaves has several benefits for your garden. Apart from creating a weed protection barrier, leaves on garden as mulch also act as insulation for plants, animals, and insects. The major benefits of leaves as mulch are provided below:
Works as a Natural Fertiliser:
Mulch leaves release essential nutrients, including phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium into the soil, acting as a natural fertiliser for plants. Moreover, decomposed leaves also improve the soil's structure.
Helps in Retaining Moisturiser:
A layer of perfectly placed Australian leaf mulch helps retain moisture in the soil by reducing evaporation from the ground surface.
Helps in Improving Soil Health:
Leaves for garden mulch add organic matter to the soil, improving soil structure and aeration and allowing better root penetration.
Prevents Soil Erosion:
Leaf mulch is known to help control erosion and crusting, especially on slopes.
Helps in Controlling Weed:
Leaves on garden create a barrier that prevents sunlight from reaching weed seeds, hindering their germination and growth.
Reduces Need for Fertiliser:
As leaf mulch improves soil fertility, it reduces the need for fertilisers.
Helps in Temperature Regulation:
Mulch leaf supply protects plant roots from extreme temperature fluctuations, which in turn can help moderate soil temperature.
Provides Aesthetic Appeal:
Green leaf mulch gives a neat and tidy appearance to garden beds and areas around plants, improving the aesthetic appeal of your landscape.
How to Make Leaf Mulch?
Making leaf mulch is not a difficult task and there are various ways to go about this process. You will need a garden rake or mulcher for leaves to start.
Collect or Gather Leaves:
Gather the fallen leaves by using a rake, garden vacuum, or leaf blower. Ensure that these leaves are mostly dry and free of debris like twigs or large branches. Avoid using leaves mixed with soil litter as this can add contaminants to your soil and leaf mulch.
Shred the Leaves:
Once all the leaves are collected, you need to shred them. You can use a variety of tools to shred your leaves. You can use a lawn mower as a mulcher for leaves and repeatedly mow over the leaves until they are finely chopped. You can also go for a dedicated leaf shredder for quicker and more consistent shredding.
Pile and Store the Leaves:
Once the shredding is done, gather your leaves into a large pile in a designated area of your garden. Turn the leaf pile periodically with a pitchfork to aerate the leaves, which helps escalate the decomposition process.
How to Use Leaf Mulch?
Once you have shredded your leaves, you can easily use them in your garden. Below are a few pointers that can help you make better use of mulch leaves in your garden.
- Pile shredded leaves 2 to 4 inches deep around your plants, trees, and shrubs to help protect their bases. Remember to keep your leaf mulch away from plant crowns.
- Use mulch leaves to insulate rose bushes from late autumn and remove this in spring when the growth cycle begins again.
- When you work the mulch back into your garden you will see the soil will begin to fill with earthworms and other beneficial organisms. This means your garden is getting healthier.
- Make sure that you shred your leaves as much as you can as under-shredded leaves can bind together and become matted. By reducing the size of your leaves, you can lower the risk of waterlogging the surface which means microorganisms have more surface area to work with.
- Leaf mulch is very carbon-rich (brown material) and using it in your leaf compost pile will balance out nitrogen-rich (green material) waste such as fresh grass clippings.
Mulching Leaves- Points to Consider
Remember to Shred Properly:
To ensure that your mulch decomposes perfectly, shred your leaves into small pieces before applying them as mulch.
Consider The Needs of Your Plants:
Different plants can have different needs and some plants may benefit more from leaf mulch than others, so research specific requirements and then apply.
Apply the Right Amount:
A layer of mulch around 2-4 inches deep is considered perfect. More or less will not have the desired effect on your garden.
Apply at the Right Time:
Use your mulch when the leaves have broken down into a dark, crumbly texture.
Conclusion
Using leaf mulch properly can enhance the aesthetics and soil quality of your garden. However, applying the right amount of mulch and doing it properly can be daunting for newbies or people with busy schedules. This is where experts like Mega Mulchers can help you. Whether you are looking for the right landscape supplies or you need bulk mulch, a reputed and expert name is exactly what you need. When you take services from professionals with years of experience for services like mulch blowing or bark blowing or even for laying down playground mulch, you get your dream garden without any hassle or worry. With experts like Mega Mulchers, you can sit back and relax. With a wide range of service options, state-of-the-art equipment, and a professional team, Mega Mulchers is your go-to company for efficient mulch installation.
