The bark mulch lies perfectly spread out on the bed and ensures a certain straightness and order. However, when the leaves fall in autumn and find their place on the bark mulch, question marks arise. Do the leaves damage the bark mulch?
Should you remove leaves from bark mulch?
Removing leaves from bark mulch is not absolutely necessary, unless they are slowly rotting leaves such as oak, beech, walnut or plane tree. Too much foliage can cause mold or rot, so the layer of foliage should not be too thick.
Is it important to remove leaves from bark mulch?
Foroptical reasons alone, it can be important for some gardeners to remove leaves from the bark mulch. But in principle, the leaves on the bark mulch in the flowerbed, vegetable patch or elsewhere are not a major nuisance. So it is not absolutely necessary to remove it. The leaves rot over time and later serve as humus or fertilizer when they have turned into soil.
Which leaves should be removed from the bark mulch?
Leaves that areslowly rotting should ideally be removed from the bark mulch. These include, for example, the leaves of oak, beech, walnut and plane tree. It decomposes very slowly due to its high tannin content. Sometimes it can take several years until it has completely rotted away.
How can leaves be removed from bark mulch?
You canpick up the leavesThis is tedious, but at the same time you can remove some weeds in the process. It is not advisable to use a broom or rake to remove the leaves on the bark mulch, as such equipment usually removes some of the bark mulch.
Do you own aleaf blower? Then you can use this too. But the leaf blower should only be used when the leaves are dry. After a rainstorm, the wet leaves are difficult to blow away from the bark mulch.
What can the leaves from bark mulch be used for?
You can collect the leaves into a leaf pile that serves asshelter for hedgehogs and insects in the autumn and winter.
You can also add the leaves to the compost, work them into the bed or use them to mulch perennials. Mulching in autumn with leaves also serves as protection against frost in the root area of cold-sensitive plants.
What is the danger of having too many leaves on the bark mulch?
If the autumn and winter periods are characterized by a lot of precipitation, there is a risk ofmouldorrot if the layer of leaves on the bark mulch is too thickThe fungi can penetrate the soil through the bark mulch and plants could become ill later. Therefore, you should make sure that the layer of leaves on the mulch is not too thick.
Tip
Leaves on the mulch ensure fresh color
Bark mulch is often monotonous and, admittedly, relatively boring. Colorful autumn leaves on the bark mulch, on the other hand, ensure an attractive freshness of color and thus visually enhance dull beds even in autumn.
