"Shiva" writes:

Got half my roses in and realized I had no pine straw--so I mounded oak
leaves on them to keep them moist until they get established. Since I
maintain a regular antifungal spray routine from late spring on, think
this will be okay? The only problem I can see is that there may be fungus
that overwintered in the oak leaves. I got them from around my azaleas and
the wooded area in the back. No signs of oak root fungus in these areas. I
plan to spray them down with a fine spray daily, and a soak for the roots,
and put medium pine bark mulch over the leaves after uncovering the bare
roots when they sprout. Thoughts?

I used oak leaves to mound over my first bare roots and in one large bed in the
front. They worked fine for me. They do hold in a lot of moisture, more so
than the cypress mulch I normally use in the beds. I didn't notice an increase
in fungus when I used them. I've since read oak leaves will form a mat and not
let moisture through to the gound, but I've always found the soil very moist
underneath them.
The best part was the cost. The neighbors had raked and bagged the leaves from
their numerous oaks, all I had to do was drag them over and dump the bags.