Can I use eucalyptus and ivy leaves for mulching

Can I use eucalyptus leaves and ivy for mulching or do they have a plant growth inhibitor in them? I do also have some mimosa leaves/twigs that I have just started using. Also will the eucalyptus be ok in a hugel bed?

Thanks for any advice, still very new to permaculture, but very keen

(Oops, just noticed a whole section on mulching.)

Lucy

PS Great site and have really enjoyed loads of entries - so much information to take on board

If you are afraid of something harmful in the eucalyptus leaves I would pile them and compost them for a few months with water and urine. A little microbial activity should neutralize any growth inhibitors. With the ivy I would be sure it gets thoroughly dried first.....any little stem piece in contact with moisture is likely to sprout and you will have an invasion....

Thanks for the advice Alder. Will make sure the ivy is completely dry! I did compost the eucalyptus leaves last year and they were fine. My problem at the moment is that I needs loads of mulching material right now, but don't have the budget to buy straw. The only things I have available are the mimosa leaves, a shed load of ivy that I need to cut back and then the eucalyptus leaves later in the year. Oh, and I forgot we do have some palm fronds. We got hit in here in southern Spain with a beetle attack that killed all the palm trees Luckily we only had the one palm. I think I noticed that Geoff Lawton was using palm fronds in his greening the desert programme.

Alder Burns wrote: With the ivy I would be sure it gets thoroughly dried first.....any little stem piece in contact with moisture is likely to sprout and you will have an invasion....

I find ivy a really difficult plant to deal with, and I'd be pretty nervous about using it.
I'd want to be sure all the stems were brown, dry and dead.

Hi Leila
Thanks for the warning about the ivy. We are in for a hot summer so I'll allow them to roast in the sunlight before I even think of using them and then maybe only in the concrete raised beds I have. That way if I missed a piece it will be contained and I can easily spot it and pull it as the soil is very friable. But certainly wouldn't want it getting into the clay beds! Lucy

I would find out what kind of plants are affected by the eucalyptus and see if you can use its allelopathy to your advantage as a weed control (some of your crops my be more resistant to it than others).