Everyone is raking the leaves up and including the garden. I've left mine in the garden. Isn't it good to use as a warming layer and mulch?
2007-11-01 09:11:45 · 19 answers · asked by Yummy♥Mummy 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
leave the leaves on the garden they are an essential part of the food chain , high in nitrogen and will produce organic matter eventually . it could take up to 6 months to break down but keep adding mulch so it is 100mm thick to trap moisture & curb weed control . good luck (landscaper 16 years.)
2007-11-01 12:05:20 · answer #1 · answered by la$t drinx$ 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Out of my own personal experience, I would have to say that yes it would be fine to leave the leaves in your garden and to use them as a warming layer and mulch.
2007-11-01 09:15:30 · answer #2 · answered by Shel 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes and no. Leaves like, Magnolia, Rhodies are pretty thick and they won't break down fast enough. They will create the perfect place for slugs and other insects to hide. I will leave Japanese Maple leaves, cherry tree leaves and some other fine and thin leaves in the garden, like you said, as mulch. You can also run thick leaves with lawn mower and spread onto your garden soil.
2007-11-01 09:24:13 · answer #3 · answered by Cosmos 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As leaves break down they produce a gas that will poison the grass in the short term and deprive it of sunlight. Once they have broken down they can be returned to the garden as the remaining mulch is nearly all nutrients.
2007-11-01 09:15:30 · answer #4 · answered by Fourcandles 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion they are bad. I tried growing strawberry plants one year. They got under the plastic covering and decimated my crop. These were fire ants. They make nests in the root system of small trees and handicap the development of the plant. They will not harm your cucumbers or basil too much, except when they build an anthill next to the plant. The worst thing about ants is that they will bite you when you're in the process of harvesting. I do not tolerate fire ants in my garden. The best thing I've found out to control them is Bengal Super Dust, but you should use it with discretion. Stick with organic culture as much as you can. Good luck.
2016-04-01 23:08:15 · answer #5 · answered by Erica 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mother Nature's winter blanket.... leave them!!!... all the nutrients that the trees took out of the soil in order to make those leaves, are still IN the leaves.... as they break down, those nutrients go BACK into the soil, where they can be used by the tree and other plants to make NEW leaves!....if you want to shred them with the mower and THEN put them around plants, that's okay, too... save some out in trash bags to keep for the dry browns that you cannot find much of in summer, for your compost pile!.... NEVER let leaves be taken for trash!!.. they're free fertilizer!!!
2007-11-01 09:47:10 · answer #6 · answered by meanolmaw 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Leaves need to be mulched first then placed in the garden, around trees, flowers. on your lawn.
2007-11-01 09:41:13 · answer #7 · answered by kim t 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how many, if there is a lot I would rake them. If there is just enough to cover it then leave it. However, it can make your garden look kinda ugly
2007-11-01 09:15:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Leaves on the garden are a good thing. If you have time, turn them under and they will be even better for the soil.
2007-11-01 09:45:09 · answer #9 · answered by Snowflake 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They start to rot and get slippery, so I would do that too but I would be afraid my kids would slip on it or get slimy from it.
But yes, it is like a layer of natural mulch.
2007-11-01 09:44:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋