Using bamboo leaves as mulch?

[Flippertygib]

I have just pruned my three huge bamboo plants so have a lot of leaves and branches. I know that the advice is to put these on top of the bamboo plants so that the silica gets back to them but what do you think about me spreading this on our small front garden? Is it acceptable as mulch or would it look too messy?

We have a clump of black bamboo, that sheds some leaves each year. And it also send up new shoots right now that get taller each year (taller than the previous year's I mean; once they have got to a certain height they stop and don't go on getting taller). I do cut off the lower twigs to expose more of the black stems (which start off green but turn black in a year or two).

I didn't know about 'silica' but most of the leaves off ours stay on the soil roundabout the clump, though I have used some as a small mulch elsewhere. It might look messy, and I think the leaves take a long time to rot down. You wouldn't really want 'branches' as a mulch though I don't think? We used to use an electric shredder to shred all our green stuff, and it made good compost. But I am too old to be able to do that now. We do pay gardeners to do the heavy work, but it wouldn't be cost-effective to have him do shredding.

Thank you Ferguson. I didn't know about leaf shredders but I think you are right, it probably would look messy. Just seems such a waste to put out with the rubbish - wanted to put them to good use.