This beautiful weather has got me outside looking to do some spring clean up. Finishing up clean up after that December ice storm. Now I'm looking at my flower beds....I have been told to leave the leaf mulch down this year. But it is kind of ugly! I have been thinking of removing the bulk and leaving a thin layer that I can work into the soil.
Thoughts? Ideas?? I know it will compost down....I'm torn on what to do.
Leaf Mulch: Leave down or Remove?
It's a great thing for the soil, but I agree it's not the best looking. Judgment call. You can cover with a thin mulch layer.
I remove it only where it is really thickly covering a plant and hindering growth. The I just move it to the side. In a month or so when everything grows up it won't even be noticeable. In the meantime, it is a nice spot for worms and things to hide making your garden healthier.
I leave mine wherever it is.
I can't see it hindering growth unless it's really thick and heavy.
Ya, I have a couple of spots under some maple trees where it falls really thickly. I just scoot it off to one side in the Spring. Mostly for the Tulips...I've uncovered a few growing sideways along the ground!!
Well, I guess I just made a mistake. I've been outside cleaning out the beds. I'm afraid it could be too early and maybe I'll be sorry. One motivator is that I've learned that the leafhoppers overwinter in the stems of plants and I get leafhoppers in my Shasta Daisies every year. I wanted all the old stems out and raking them out raked out the leaves also. So, here's a question, what about plant disease and having infected material remain in the garden? I chop up leaves every fall and pile them and then use them as mulch around the returning plants every year. Is that an okay strategy? I had been worrying the whole time I was raking, about a freeze killing the plants that are starting to come up already. There is an amazing amount of new growth at the base of my plants.
Yup, there is always the chance of an unexpected freeze. As much as I want to I never clean out my beds until the ground dries out a bit. We always get a freeze first week of June, I am very careful about what I uncover until then.
We dont put any annuals in the ground until Memorial Day. Had frost mid May last year ,
The poor hydrangeas never bloomed on the outside of the plant, just close to the ground.
I raked up some of the heavy wet leaves. I left maybe an inch. I'm not loving the look so if the leaves don't disappear into the soil after most plants have shown themselves and I lightly cultivate the surface soil, I'm going to remove the remaining leaves by hand.
I don't put in annuals here until the enf of May. It has just felt so good to be outside this weekend!! Might as well get some work done while I am basking in mother nature's glory! Now I have to figure out when to put down grub control, weed control (creeping charlie HAS to go this year), and fertilize my lawn. My neighbors think I am weird but this is so much fun!!
Yes - it felt great!
It is supposed to get cold again, I left mine.
victor a freeze the first week of June?
i rake up all my leaves as soon as the snow goes. i dump them all in an area out back that has some great looking compost now. this year i will finally start to use it.
you can fertilize your lawn as soon as the snow clears
for grubs check the package - i usually do that in April.
??? Bill?
I think he meant me...
Oh - I see it now.
duh
Guess you were thinking about that turkey, Bill!
yeah and i ate it in about 15 minutes and could not move :)
Rain/Snow mix today!! What crappy weather. Still this snow won't last and spring is just around the corner.
Yuck!! Just a light dusting here.
Freezing rain/sleet/wet snow happening here.
I have alot of leaves so I remove to about 1". That inch gets moved back from the emerging plants and worked into the soil. The ones I remove get bagged and added to the compost as a brown layer in the fall.
Dahlianut that is exactly what I had planned on doing.