A plant expert reveals how you can use fallen leaves to complete one simple but important gardening task which will replenish soil and help your plants flourish
As autumn leaves begin to fall, gardeners are being urged to hold onto these natural scraps as they can majorly benefit your plants.
One of the surest signs of autumn is when footpaths and gardens begin to be filled with reddish, withering leaves. While it’s a cosy, welcome sight for many, it’s also tempting to get to work with a shovel or rake and remove them, as they can block entranceways and otherwise create a mess.
However, Morris Hankinson, managing director of Hopes Groves Nurseries says it’s best not to outright get rid of them. Instead, he recommends that gardeners save their leaves for a more important purpose.
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According to Morris, fallen leaves make the perfect ingredient for your own homemade mulch – which can in turn replenish your soil and boost plants.
Morris explains: “Leaves are nature’s way of replenishing the soil. If they have fallen underneath hedges and trees, they are a natural mulch and a great wildlife habitat for over winter.”
He continues: “Some leaves can even be left on the lawn but heavy leaf fall or on patios and pavements should ideally be raked up and stored in bags because over time they will make leaf mulch, which is ideal for plants.”
Mulching is a simple gardening technique that involves adding a layer of material, typically made from wood chips, compost, bark, or straw, to the soil around plants to protect and nourish them.
Some of the benefits of mulching include retaining soil moisture, suppressing weed growth, regulating soil temperature and protecting plants from erosion. Plus, organic mulch can also add nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.
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The reason why leaf-based mulch is so effective is because it is rich in key minerals like magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. As leaves decompose, they release these nutrients slowly into the soil, feeding microorganisms and boosting soil fertility.
Plus, while many gardeners might assume that mulching is a task better suited for earlier in the year, Morris insists that autumn is also a great time to add an extra layer of protection and nutrition to your soil.
He says: “Autumn mulching protects roots from frost, maintains the temperature and the nutrients will absorb down into the soil over winter with the rain. Autumn is an excellent time to mulch.”
How do you make leaf mulch?
Making leaf mulch is a relatively simple process. Morris says: “Rake up leaves, chop or mow over them to bag them up for leaf mulch. In a year or less, leaf mulch can be used around plants as a mulch, soil improver, to cover bare soil or even as a top dressing on lawns.”
He adds that the best leaf mulch is made from oak, beech or hornbeam trees. However, most kinds of leaves will still “work well”.