Another question from the group newbie...

Last year I purchased a shredder/vac/blower and shredded up all of our
leaves and put a nice thick layer on my flower beds. I've got
probably 4 inches or so on top of my main garden and I'm wondering if
thats too much. The garden includes mainly hosta, heuchera and a few
other shade perennials. I moved some of the mulched leaves out of
the way today and it seemed pretty damp underneath, we've had lots of
rain lately. Will this be a problem, is it too think or should I
just leave the mulch as is? I'm hoping it will be ok and it can serve
as a weed barrier.

Thanks in advance for your help!

In article .com, "Ima
Googler" wrote:

Another question from the group newbie...

Last year I purchased a shredder/vac/blower and shredded up all of our
leaves and put a nice thick layer on my flower beds. I've got
probably 4 inches or so on top of my main garden and I'm wondering if
thats too much. The garden includes mainly hosta, heuchera and a few
other shade perennials. I moved some of the mulched leaves out of
the way today and it seemed pretty damp underneath, we've had lots of
rain lately. Will this be a problem, is it too think or should I
just leave the mulch as is? I'm hoping it will be ok and it can serve
as a weed barrier.

Thanks in advance for your help!

As a general rule leaflitter is the most natural autumn & winter mulch, &
encourages the microorganisms that manufacture nitrogen. A healthy garden
will also love the fallen leaves that keep down winter-germinating seeds,
then turns into lovely leafmold by or during spring. Woodland gardens
which are permitted to recycle their leaves back into their own soil need
very little fertilizing to remain happy as all get-out.

On the other hand, an unhealthy or inorganic garden will
linevitably/eventually have harmful insect population explosions because
harmful insects adapt & bounce back more rapidly than do beneficial
insects. In such cases leaflitter can harbor an excess of harmful insects.
Or even in a healthy garden, if a droughty winter means the leaves never
did break down into leafmold, spring rain or artificial irrigation wetting
so many whole leaves in warming weather will make it ideal slug & snail &
woodlouse territory.

So there are some cases when the leaves really do have to be taken away &
composted or put in black bags & stored until they break down into
leafmold. In most cases though the leaves are gotten off lawns & into the
gardens during autumn leaf-fall, & nature does the rest.

Four inches of mulch, however, certainly is apt to be too much, &amp it
might be nice to aportion all that mulch more thinly about the gardens. As
for keeping the ground moist underneath the mulch, that's generally a good
thing, it won't keep it TOO moist unless the soil is badly draining clay;
it just allows for water conservation. An inch or two would be a lot of
mulch but not too much unless you were hoping to germinate seeds in which
case soil would have to be churned to the surface mixing the mulch in.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden
people maintaining a free civil government." -Thomas Jefferson

Ima Googler wrote:
Another question from the group newbie...

Last year I purchased a shredder/vac/blower and shredded up all of our
leaves and put a nice thick layer on my flower beds. I've got
probably 4 inches or so on top of my main garden and I'm wondering if
thats too much. The garden includes mainly hosta, heuchera and a few
other shade perennials. I moved some of the mulched leaves out of
the way today and it seemed pretty damp underneath, we've had lots of
rain lately. Will this be a problem, is it too think or should I
just leave the mulch as is? I'm hoping it will be ok and it can serve
as a weed barrier.

I put about 6" on my vegetable garden each fall. I spread some bloodmeal on top
of that, and then put a tarp over it. When a warm, dry week of spring comes, I
pull off the tarp, and till it under. By the time I plant my tomato transplants
in May, I have a very loamy and fertile soil.

I couldn't imagine leaving that thick as mulch. It's not very attractive. And as
it settles when it gets wet, it would cut off any oxygen supply to something
growing there. I suppose if you fluff it up often enough that could be overcome,
but that sounds like a lot of work when the layer is that thick. If you have to
dig instead of rake to fluff it, it seems to me that it's a bit too much.

Leaf mould, and even shredded leaves, IMHO, make a great soil amendment. But I
think there are better things to use as mulch.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Your Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Suburban Lawn:
http://www.holzemville.com/community...are/index.html

paghat wrote:
In article .com,
"Ima Googler" wrote:

Another question from the group newbie...

Last year I purchased a shredder/vac/blower and shredded up all of
our leaves and put a nice thick layer on my flower beds. I've got
probably 4 inches or so on top of my main garden and I'm wondering
if thats too much. The garden includes mainly hosta, heuchera
and a few other shade perennials. I moved some of the mulched
leaves out of the way today and it seemed pretty damp underneath,
we've had lots of rain lately. Will this be a problem, is it
too think or should I just leave the mulch as is? I'm hoping it
will be ok and it can serve as a weed barrier.

Thanks in advance for your help!

As a general rule leaflitter is the most natural autumn & winter
mulch, & encourages the microorganisms that manufacture nitrogen. A
healthy garden will also love the fallen leaves that keep down
winter-germinating seeds, then turns into lovely leafmold by or
during spring. Woodland gardens which are permitted to recycle
their leaves back into their own soil need very little fertilizing
to remain happy as all get-out.

On the other hand, an unhealthy or inorganic garden will
linevitably/eventually have harmful insect population explosions
because harmful insects adapt & bounce back more rapidly than do
beneficial insects. In such cases leaflitter can harbor an excess
of harmful insects. Or even in a healthy garden, if a droughty
winter means the leaves never did break down into leafmold, spring
rain or artificial irrigation wetting so many whole leaves in
warming weather will make it ideal slug & snail & woodlouse
territory.

So there are some cases when the leaves really do have to be taken
away & composted or put in black bags & stored until they break
down into leafmold. In most cases though the leaves are gotten off
lawns & into the gardens during autumn leaf-fall, & nature does the
rest.

Four inches of mulch, however, certainly is apt to be too much,
&amp it might be nice to aportion all that mulch more thinly about
the gardens. As for keeping the ground moist underneath the mulch,
that's generally a good thing, it won't keep it TOO moist unless
the soil is badly draining clay; it just allows for water
conservation. An inch or two would be a lot of mulch but not too
much unless you were hoping to germinate seeds in which case soil
would have to be churned to the surface mixing the mulch in.

-paghat the ratgirl

What about clearing the leaves from the crowns of perennials?

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

Don't bother removing the old mulch.

Just set it on fire and see what happens!!!!


"Ima Googler" wrote in message
oups.com...
Another question from the group newbie...

Last year I purchased a shredder/vac/blower and shredded up all of our
leaves and put a nice thick layer on my flower beds. I've got
probably 4 inches or so on top of my main garden and I'm wondering if
thats too much. The garden includes mainly hosta, heuchera and a few
other shade perennials. I moved some of the mulched leaves out of
the way today and it seemed pretty damp underneath, we've had lots of
rain lately. Will this be a problem, is it too think or should I
just leave the mulch as is? I'm hoping it will be ok and it can serve
as a weed barrier.

Thanks in advance for your help!

"Warren" wrote in message
...

I couldn't imagine leaving that thick as mulch. It's not very attractive.

funny, I was just admiring mine yesterday, thinking it looked very
spring-like with the tulips and all poking thru.


it settles when it gets wet, it would cut off any oxygen supply to
something
growing there. I

Why do you say that? This isn't landscape fabric. Air will always get
through.

suppose if you fluff it up often enough that could be overcome,
but that sounds like a lot of work when the layer is that thick. If you
have to
dig instead of rake to fluff it, it seems to me that it's a bit too much.


I find the 4-6" mulch added after freeze-up is gone by end-May, the worms
pull it into the soil.



Leaf mould, and even shredded leaves, IMHO, make a great soil amendment.
But I
think there are better things to use as mulch.


On the contrary, it seems like the dream amendmenet. It protects my bulbs
through winter, prevents hot/cold swings, keeps the growing tips hidden from
freak cold spells, retains moisture, and gets completely incorporated into
the soil without being reworked by mid-Spring. What's not to love?

It's also free, and I keep it out of our overtaxed landfills.

Leon Trollski wrote:
Warren wrote:
I couldn't imagine leaving that thick as mulch. It's not very attractive.

funny, I was just admiring mine yesterday, thinking it looked very
spring-like with the tulips and all poking thru.

I guess you didn't plonk me like you said you did.

I don't particularly find grey an attractive color for mulch, nor is the flakey
texture very attractive to me.


it settles when it gets wet, it would cut off any oxygen supply to
something
growing there. I

Why do you say that? This isn't landscape fabric. Air will always get
through.

Landscape fabric allows air and water to pass. A matted layer of leaves,
shredded or not, does not.


suppose if you fluff it up often enough that could be overcome,
but that sounds like a lot of work when the layer is that thick. If you
have to
dig instead of rake to fluff it, it seems to me that it's a bit too much.


I find the 4-6" mulch added after freeze-up is gone by end-May, the worms
pull it into the soil.

Perhaps things are different where you are, but the places I put 6" of shredded
leaves on (my idle vegetable garden) still have 3"+ in spring. It's partially
decompossed, but mostly just compressed, and turning/turned into mould. And I
don't know of many worms that will come above the frost line in winter. If I
take a shovel, and try to poke through the layer, it's like trying to cut
through a thick rubber layer. That's why I till it into the soil, where it
becomes the greatest ammendment I could find.


Leaf mould, and even shredded leaves, IMHO, make a great soil amendment.
But I
think there are better things to use as mulch.


On the contrary, it seems like the dream amendmenet. It protects my bulbs
through winter, prevents hot/cold swings, keeps the growing tips hidden from
freak cold spells, retains moisture, and gets completely incorporated into
the soil without being reworked by mid-Spring. What's not to love?

On the contrary? You /agreed/ with me that shredded leaves make a great soil
amendment. As for a winter protection mulch, it's good, too. But a 4-6" thick
layer that's been matted down all winter and has turned grey and flakey is not
something that I can find dozens of better mulches than.


It's also free, and I keep it out of our overtaxed landfills.

That's right.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Your Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Suburban Lawn:
http://www.holzemville.com/community...are/index.html

"Warren" expounded:

Landscape fabric allows air and water to pass. A matted layer of leaves,
shredded or not, does not.

Shredded leaves absolutely do let water pass, I do this every year. I
find the look of leaf mulch far superior to anything else in a
perennial garden, and the vegetable garden benefits from a healthy
layer between rows to keep down weeds.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Ann wrote:
Warren expounded:

Landscape fabric allows air and water to pass. A matted layer of leaves,
shredded or not, does not.

Shredded leaves absolutely do let water pass, I do this every year. I
find the look of leaf mulch far superior to anything else in a
perennial garden, and the vegetable garden benefits from a healthy
layer between rows to keep down weeds.

I didn't say shredded leaves don't let water pass. I said a "matted layer of
leaves", and the context was 4-6". That's very different than an inch or two
that's kept fluffed.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Your Guide to the Care and Feeding of a Suburban Lawn:
http://www.holzemville.com/community...are/index.html

"Warren" wrote in message
...
Ann wrote:
Warren expounded:

Landscape fabric allows air and water to pass. A matted layer of leaves,
shredded or not, does not.

Shredded leaves absolutely do let water pass, I do this every year. I
find the look of leaf mulch far superior to anything else in a
perennial garden, and the vegetable garden benefits from a healthy
layer between rows to keep down weeds.

I didn't say shredded leaves don't let water pass. I said a "matted layer
of
leaves", and the context was 4-6". That's very different than an inch or
two
that's kept fluffed.


They're not as impermeable as you may think. And I don't even bother
shredding mine.

But landscape fabric is horrible. Water passes, air does not. Bacteria and
microbiota do not. So what it gets you is nice dead soil.

"Warren" wrote in message
...
Leon Trollski wrote:
Warren wrote:
I couldn't imagine leaving that thick as mulch. It's not very
attractive.

funny, I was just admiring mine yesterday, thinking it looked very
spring-like with the tulips and all poking thru.

I guess you didn't plonk me like you said you did.


I thought I'd give our relationship another try.