This is my first attempt We live on the Sunshine Coast surrounded by Western Red Cedar. At this time of the year we are plagued with an abundance of dead yellow cedar leaves. If these leaves are left in the beds to rot will this cause a problem? We have also shredded deciduous leaves and unfortunately they are combined with the dead red cedar leaves (75/25%)...again how much of a problem is this? Thank you
No problem at all. I use a lot of Western Red Cedar woodchips combined with their leaves with no ill effects. It makes a great mulch! The reason not much grows under large Thuja trees is due to the dense root system and canopy, rather than some chemical in the leaves.
The red cedar fronds which drop are really the content of many kinds of commercial mulch along with the bark; or municipally-processed mulch, which is made along with other leaf droppings and plant debris. It's good stuff, good for the garden if you have acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, dwarf ornamental conifers, etc... if you are shredding, shred it all together and you will have a good mulch for the garden. Ideally it should be composted first, in a pile or composter to turn into the softer, more readily available nutrient for your soil. But I believe it's fine the way it is. Nature produces it, it naturally returns nutrients to the soil. Our neatness concerns drive us to clean it up and process it, then put it back on garden beds.