Bumped into my old neighbor Bill at the dump and he changed how I mulch

I was tossing yard waste last Saturday when Bill pointed at my bag of cypress mulch and said that stuff is terrible for the soil long term. He told me he's been using shredded leaves from his own yard for 15 years and his garden beds are healthier than ever. I never even thought about free mulch that's literally sitting in my backyard. Has anyone else switched to leaf mulch and noticed a difference in your plants?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.mason22d ago

Hell yeah, Bill is right. I switched to leaf mulch two years ago and it's night and day. My azaleas actually bloomed for the first time in years. The soil stays way more moist too. I used to buy bagged stuff and feel like I was throwing money away. Now I just rake and shred. Saves me like 80 bucks a season easy.

sam_thomas22d ago

Yeah I read that leaf mold is amazing for soil microbes too.

sageadams19d ago

You ever try running over the leaves with a lawn mower before you pile them up? Makes a huge difference in how fast they break down. I learned that the hard way when I just dumped whole leaves around my hydrangeas and they turned into a wet mat that never decomposed. Now I run over them a couple times with the bagger on, then spread that shredded stuff around. Gets that nice crumbly texture way faster and you don't have to wait a whole season for it to do anything.