First winter in my new house (Chicago area) and I planted a ton of perennials this year, some into September. I have raked some of maple leaves onto the beds to insulate the new roots from the cold, since they aren't that established yet. Was thinking that in the spring I could rake most of the leaves out onto my lawn, shred them with my mower, and turn them into fertilizer. Does this make sense? How acidic are the maple leaves, will I need to amend the lawn or the flower beds with lime or something?
Should I use maple leaves for insulating new flower beds over the winter, then mulch them in the spring?
I always leave the leaves on my perennial beds, especially in the winter here where we don't get much snow cover. It helps protect them, and I don't really see much difference in the kind of leaves, either. I have been gardening for 40 years and I am not about to sort oak and maple leaves. Maples disintegrate pretty rapidly, being a thin leaf, there may not be much of anything left to rake out in the spring, depending on the amount of moisture you get in the winter. Oaks do not rot so easily, being thick. Those I shred in the fall and use as mulch, and I don't take it off in the spring. There is not any acidity that maple leaves add to your soil, they are pretty neutral. Pine needles do add acidity. By the time oak leaves have broken down, they don't add any acidity either, just good mulch. As long as you are adding organic matter to your soil, you probably won't need to add anything. Don't add lime unless you have your soil tested and find that you need it, some plants resent lime and will die from it. Research your various perennials' needs.
Reply:any thing organic is good cover, maybe not potatoes skins unless you want a bed of them too. pet shops have acidie test kits for fish tanks, litmas paper. but you should have checked it befor you started. stay away from lime products unledd you know how too use them first,
dvr
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