Can I cover plants with walnut leaves and use them as mulch?
WALNUT LEAVES AS MULCH AND SHELTER FOR PLANTS
It was a case that prompted me to write this article. Once I talked with a neighbor about mulching, and found out to my surprise that some are afraid to use walnut leaves as mulch: they say, nothing will grow. I want to dispel this ridiculous myth.
Three walnuts grow on my site, annually giving a lot of leaves, which I use both as a covering material and when laying compost.
The fact is that all parts of the walnut contain a herbicide of plant origin - juglone. The highest concentration of this substance is in the root system, and in other parts of the juglone prevails only during the period of fruit ripening. In autumn, in the litter, the main part of the active substance decomposes, therefore, using walnut leaves as a fertilizer, it is impossible to harm other plants.
When released into the soil, juglone quickly breaks down, becoming a breeding ground for many bacteria in the soil, so these leaves are of great use in a compost heap.
As a covering material, their benefits are generally double: protection of the root system from freezing and destruction of pests - even a slight concentration of juglone has a detrimental effect on harmful insects wintering in the soil.
I cover the roots of seven grape bushes with walnut leaves, I also mulch plantings of black and red currants, gooseberries.
I start collecting leaves after the first frost - they fall off almost instantly. So, last year on November 10, the temperature dropped to -6 °, the leaves fell down! In addition, on bare branches it is easier to see and collect fruits.
Reference by topic: Prevention of late blight of tomatoes and the use of walnut leaves as mulch
Editor's note: For many years we have been using walnut leaves both as a shelter and as a mulch and pour them for composting. Over the years, walnut mulch has proved to be wonderful, both as a top dressing and as a mulch and as a shelter. Do not believe the myths and use it calmly - the number of diseases, such as phytophthora, has decreased significantly!
CAN WALNUT LEAVES BE USED AS MULCH? VIDEO
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For the winter, I covered the strawberry bed with fallen walnut leaves. But I recently read that they contain the toxic substance juglone. Now I’m worried: will such shelter harm my berry plantation?
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— The maximum amount of juglone in walnut leaves accumulates from the middle of the period of fruit ripening (that is, in the summer in green leaves, and even more in the green peel that covers the ripening fruit). But by the autumn leaf fall its concentration decreases significantly, and juglone does not have such a negative effect on other plants. Therefore, leaves that have turned yellow and fallen naturally can be used for shelter.