Cleaning debris out of leaf mulch?

I have a native plant bed near a forest. All the leaves that fall I leave on the bed for critters and bees and such.

Well, we just had our roof replaced and decided to add polyiso foam insulation board underneath the shingles. What I didn't realize was that because the insulation has to be cut to fit at the edge of the roof, all these little bits of insulation (think styrofoam-like) floated down onto the leaves. I can remove the larger pieces, but the smaller pieces are too difficult to pick out by hand.

I know this is a long shot, but has anyone found a way to remove tiny bits of debris from leaf litter without having to remove all the leaves?

I saw on the soil forum that putting the soil in a bucket of water can separate out foam-like debris because the soil sinks and the foam floats, but in this case the leaves will float as well. Plus, I don't like the idea of disturbing the leaves as that could potentially destroy any nests or other critter habitat.

Part of me thinks I should suck it up and simply remove everything down to bare soil so all the horrid stuff is gone, but then I can't bring myself to potentially interfere with and/or destroy the nests and eggs of anyone who's found a home in the leaves.

Any advice?

Hi Welcome to Permies!

Unfortunately I don't have much suggestion, other than to maybe wait for spring. Most of the bugs who use dried leaves are doing so to overwinter. If you wait till spring, then clean it up by removing the leaves, you should disturb fewer insects and other critters.

I have a painted deck that's peeling badly and we're planning to coat and impregnate the wood with a resin-based more eco-friendly solution next year. However, in the mean time, a *lot* of little paint chips are in the yard around and under this deck. I've had pretty good luck walking around with a shop-vac. I get some leaves and acorns and stuff, and I don't get all the paint, but it's better than trying to pick it all up by hand. Maybe that would work for at least some of your mess?

There are Styrofoam eating bugs, mealworms and superworms (the larvae of darkling beetles):

https://permies.com/t/103412/Superworms-bioremediation-polystyrene-ideas-extending

https://permies.com/t/72035/Styrofoam-Composting-Mealworms

https://permies.com/t/50485/composting/Mealworms-Eating-Styrofoam

Oh my gosh. What great suggestions. Thank you!

If it were me, I'd remove the leaves entirely. Call me a purist, but I can't tolerate bits of chemicals in my soil. That being said, I sometimes get bulk aged humus from landscaping suppliers which may have questionable additives in it.

It's really up to you, if you want to take up the tedious task of picking out every bit of it, go for it!

The leaves should be in level with the water surface and the styrofoam should be on top floating after giving it a good steer,
hence easy to skim the major part off.

It's recommendable to get rid of it as it is bad in all ways for the soil and plants.

I think if you do want to try and remove the foam it is better done sooner rather than later (weather permitting). The job will be harder in spring once the soil and debris have mixed in more....

I suggest you treat it as a learning experience, and thank you Sophie for putting it here as a warning for other people. Putting sheets down on the ground before they cut the insulation would have saved you so much trouble. It is easy to be wise in hindsight of course!

Nancy Reading wrote:I suggest you treat it as a learning experience, and thank you Sophie for putting it here as a warning for other people. Putting sheets down on the ground before they cut the insulation would have saved you so much trouble. It is easy to be wise in hindsight of course!

Absolutely!

The company said they'd tarp around the house, but then they didn't. I (stupidly?) figured I'd simply pick everything up after they were gone. I had no idea how awful this stuff was. So for anyone in the future who's reading this, tarping is the ONLY way. This stuff is horrible to try to pick out. Unless you're willing to say goodbye to all your leaf litter and probably a top layer of soil (and any seeds you've planted), it's a huge job.

Actually, after this experience, I don't think I'd ever install polyiso foam board insulation anywhere again. It's like styrofoam and the little bits get everywhere. I'd rather be cold.

Thank you again for everyone's responses.

Sophie Sacca wrote:The company said they'd tarp around the house, but then they didn't.

I don't know how realistic this is, but that sounds to me like they should be on the hook for remediating your garden. In your position, I'd either ask them to fix it or contact a local attorney to see what they think about the situation. This shouldn't be your problem alone.

In case anyone in the future finds this thread:

One part of the roof was done later, so I managed to tarp underneath that area. A tarp is crucial and extremely effective for protecting planting areas. But, it still takes quite a bit of care to remove the tarp without spilling the little bits of insulation onto the soil. On top of that, because the insulation is so light, the tarp will then need to be vacuumed with a shop vac, which is time-consuming.

As for the areas that weren't tarped, I did find that using a shop vac on a low setting, or with it slightly clogged, helped. The lower suction meant that it wasn't powerful enough to pull in the leaves or soil, but could pull in the lighter insulation. It wasn't perfect -- it still sucked up some leaves and soil, and where the little bits of foam had mixed in with the soil, it couldn't do much. But it did reduce the risk of pushing the bits of foam further into the soil.

Overall, the task of containing the pieces of foam insulation was hugely tedious and time-consuming. I really hope no one ends up in this situation.

FWIW.

this happened to us when i had my carport recovered. not insulation, but many, many bits of wire and other metal. not great for the dogs or me when I was digging in my large containers. it took me forever to get rid of.
prevention is a great idea. I also could have caused some noise after but decided to make it a learning opportunity for myself (and perhaps others).

Tereza Okava wrote:it took me forever to get rid of.

Yep. I'll be picking this stuff out for years. *sigh*

I'm so sorry you had to deal with similar.