Glorious, Great and Grounded: A Tree Blog

Leaf Mulch: How to Make It and Its Benefits

Fall is the season when plenty of leaves fall from trees and collect on your garden. You can put these leaves to use, and they will help your garden flourish. This layer of shredded leaves that are collected together is referred to as leaf mulch. Mulch can be made of materials other than leaves. However, leaves are the primary component of mulch. What matters is that the products of mulch do not destroy the soil. If you have trees in your garden you should not worry about where you will get organic material.

How to Make Mulch

The process of making leaf mulch is easy. It is something that anyone can do. It involves the following steps:

1. First of all, you should collect the leaves that have fallen from the trees. You can make your collection easier using a garden rake. You should consider using a rubber rake because a metal rake will be harsh on the soil in your garden.
2. Once you have collected your pile of leaves, you should ensure that they are out of the way of the wind. You should avoid getting diseased leaves onto your collection. This is because they will spread diseases to the other plants if you are using them as your mulch. You should not use leaves that have any litter between them either. This is because the litter will contaminate the soil and leaf mulch.
3. Once you have enough leaves, you need to cut them into small pieces. By reducing the size of the leaves, you reduce the risk of water passing through the surface. You can use a garden vacuum to shred your leaves, helping you to get your mulch quickly. You can also use a leaf shredder to cut the leaves into the small pieces that you desire.

Benefits of Leaf Mulch

Leaf mulch has many benefits for your garden. In addition to maintaining the moisture of the soil, mulch creates a barrier for weeds and grass hence preventing them from growing. It also insulates the plants and insects. Leaf mulch protects the earthworms from birds, and you want earthworms in your garden because they can in turn help nourish the soil. Earthworms aerate the soil and this is helpful to the plants. Leaf mulch will also preserve your garden by preventing soil erosion from taking place. Mulch also helps to reduce the amount of water that is lost through evaporation.