Benefits of Using Leaf Mulch in Your Garden
Posted on: 26 September 2019
When it comes to taking care of a garden, there seems to be a never-ending list of things to do to keep the area maintained. As someone who is about to hire a tree service company to trim your trees before the summer storm season arrives, have you considered turning the leaves into mulch while they are at your premises with their wood chipper? There are positives and negatives of doing this, so here are the things you should know about using leaf mulch in your garden.
Benefits of Leaf Mulch
You already know that mulch is a must-have addition to any garden over summer as it stops moisture from evaporating out of the soil. Instead of purchasing mulch at the garden centre, you can create your own using fallen leaves. Ask the tree service to put your leaf piles through their wood chipper to create a large pile of free mulch. Alternatively, you can spread your leaves out over the lawn and mow over them with your lawnmower. Make sure you have the catcher bag attachment on the mower to catch your small mulch clippings.
Leaf mulch has a lot of nutrients in it, so you also save money on having to fertilise in the area where you use the mulch. The leaves naturally rot and break down over time, and these nutrients are soaked up by the soil they lay on top of. This keeps your plants growing healthily and steadily.
How to Avoid Potential Problems
Two negatives come with using leaf mulch, but by being aware of them in advance, you can avoid them. Firstly, don't use leaves which have come from diseased trees and are outwardly showing signs of the disease as you don't want to infect the soil in other parts of the garden. Secondly, some tree leaves are very acidic, so it is a good idea to test the soil a month or two after the leaf mulch has been laid so that you can alter the soil acidity if it is too high. You can purchase a soil testing kit at your local hardware store, and the garden centre can instruct you on how to alter soil acidity if that is required.
It is economical and efficient to reuse your excess leaves and turn them into mulch for your garden, so have a chat with your tree service to see how they can help you achieve this while they are trimming your trees.
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