{"id":3125,"date":"2021-05-17T09:22:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T09:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecofamilylife.com\/?p=3125"},"modified":"2021-07-14T03:30:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T03:30:56","slug":"mulching-with-leaves-an-easy-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecofamilylife.com\/garden\/mulching-with-leaves-an-easy-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Mulching with Leaves | An Easy Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fall leaves can be used in your garden as mulch either shredded or whole. Shredded leaves can be put on garden beds 2-3 inches thick. Whole fall leaves can be put on garden beds thinly or mixed with other mulches such as bark chips or compost. This will make sure that water can still reach plant roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Putting shredded leaves in the garden<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shredded leaves work best as a mulch in open garden<\/a> beds with flowers or trees. Leaves form a dense mulch which will break down over time adding nutrients to the soil. A small amount of nitrogen will be absorbed from the soil by bacteria as they break down the leaves. Adding a small amount of pelleted chicken manure<\/a> or composted cow manure to the leaf mulch will help to add extra nitrogen back into the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bacteria will then release the nitrogen back into the soil over time as the leaves are broken down making it available for the plants. Leaf mulch will also encourage worms to come to the surface to eat the soil bacteria and leaves adding air to the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For large open garden beds, the small amount of nitrogen taken through the leaf break down process up won\u2019t affect the plants. It is best not to use fall leaves for vegetables as they generally need more nitrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to use leaves for mulch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dry fall leaves are a light mulch and work best when combined with other mulch types<\/a>. Shredding the leaves with a mower or leaf blower will help to break down the leaves. You can mix them with lawn clippings, bark mulch or compost to make a great mulch mix for garden beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lawn clippings and leaves can be mixed together to form a mulch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mix fall leaves with straw for a mulch that will hold water in the soil. The leaves will break down over a period of 6-12 months making them a great short term mulch to build the soil. Each fall you will be able to find new leaves and add them to your garden beds to replace those from previous years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to collect leaves for mulch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The simplest way to collect leaves for mulch is to use a rake to move them directly onto nearby garden beds. Move the leaves neatly under the tree they dropped from for an easy way to clean up the area and to mulch the tree. Trees naturally make their own mulch by dropping leaves and you can help them along by raking them under their root zone or into your garden bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaves can also be collected for mulch by using the sucking function on a leaf blower. Many leaf blowers come with a collection bag and a mulching function so use it to suck up your leaves and turn it into mulch. The leaves can be emptied from the bag straight onto garden beds or placed in your compost<\/a> bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way to collect leaves is to rake them into a compost bag or bin<\/a>. A compost bag is a great way to collect leaves because it is light and flexible. You can also rake and shovel leaves into a compost bin using a mulch shovel. These are wide, light shovels perfect for collecting large amounts of leaves quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My compost bag full of leaves for mulch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How thick to apply leaf mulch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apply shredded leaf mulch around 2-3 inches thick at the base of shrubs or trees. Keep the mulch away from the plant<\/a> base to avoid any moisture sticking close the trunk or stem and causing rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are using unshredded leaves, lay them 1-2 inches thick or mix them with another mulch type. Fall leaves can matt together when they are whole and if laid too thick can stop water from reaching the roots of the plants.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using whole leaves as mulch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the fall leaves are small you can easily rake these straight from the tree onto the garden bed. Water them in as you lay them on the soil to keep them in place. I like to scatter a handful of pelleted chicken manure on top to add extra nutrients and encourage more soil microbes to gather to break down the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Large leaves work best as mulch<\/a> when shredded or turned into compost.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What to do with shredded leaves in the garden<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are lots of great uses for shredded leaves in your home garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n