Adding Evergreen oak leaves

[RudyLebanon]

I have an area that is sandy/clayey where I want to plant some fruit and nut trees. I have a lot of Evergreen oak (Q. calliprinos) leaves nearby. Is it a good idea to add these to the intended location and mix with the soil just before planting the trees late this winter.

 

[cpp gardener]

If they are at least partly decomposed they are fine. Any kind of organic matter you can mix in will help.

 

[Marck]

Some fresh leaves mixed into soil would be fine, but if there is a lot of fresh leaves you can use the rest as mulch or compost for a later project. Underneath the fresh leaves may be older decomposing leaves, but don't excavate too deeply, as the oaks themselves will already be interacting with that compost, and you don't want to disturb their roots.