Observing nature brings many lessons: we can see that a forest lives peacefully without any farmer coming to fertilize it, one of its secrets is the reuse of dead leaves as food.
Leaves are organic substances that serve to enrich the soil.
We can try to imitate this miracle by reusing the leaves that fall in autumn in our garden. We try to give you some tips on how to do it.
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How to use the leaves
Padded. Dried or composted leaves are a good material for covering the ground around landscape plants, reducing weed growth, retaining moisture during the summer months, and protecting roots from winter cold.
ground cover . If the land is worked in October November, it is a good idea not to leave it bare during the winter months so that it does not freeze too much. You can cover it with fall foliage. In the spring, you’ll rake the leaves into a mound, then they’ll still be useful for composting and mulching.
Compost . In the compost heap, leaves are an excellent material, usually quick to decompose (however depending on leaf type) and unlikely to form an unhealthy rot and stink. After a few months, the heap can be incorporated into the soil, enriching it with organic matter.
what kind of sheets to use
There are hardy leaves that decompose very slowly, for example laurel (those who have a hedge already know this), beech and magnolia. It is better to choose the leaves of oak, elm, maple, ash, chestnut. Pine needles and conifers in general should be avoided as they make the soil acidic, they can be useful in cases where the pH needs to be corrected.