Pendulus Sedge - are the leaves a good mulch?

[keebo]

I've just pulled up 6 enormous pendulus sedge plants (there were 2 a couple of years ago, the rate of spreading is why they're going!). As long as there are no seed heads mixed in, can I use the leaves as mulch on my veg beds? I don't want to end up with the sedge plants everywhere again, but equally don't want to just throw them out if parts can be useful.

Yes, you can use grasses for mulch.
However, strappy grass leaves like that will take a while to decompose so I'd roughly shred or cut up with shears to speed this up.

I would either add the shredded leaves to compost, or if you're making leaf mould you could do this. Once rotted add to your veg beg.

Otherwise, you could mulch on empty-ish veg bed, water this layer, layer on top of this with cardboard and then organic matter. This would create a good weed barrier.

Yes, you can use grasses for mulch. Pendulous sedge isn’t a mulch.

but you could use its leaves as a mulch. I’d cut off any roots. I don’t see the need to cut up - you don’t want a mulch to decompose else you’ll have replace it. Composting them is a different matter.

I meant to say “pendulous sedge isn’t a grass”

Yes, I'd cut out any seed heads and chuck the leaves into a pile, and mow them up and then use them as a mulch.

I hate this plant, the leaves can slice your face as they often grow to that height so when clearing them when they have been allowed to run riot you have to be so careful of not slicing your face to pieces.

Thanks all. I'll try turning it into leaf mould first and then put it on the beds in a year or 2.
I'm so pleased they're out of the ground though, it is a horrible plant. But you can imagine the gaping hole 6 of them have left in the flower bed!

Lovely plant in the right place (eg woodland) with its graceful arching flower stems. But a garden (at least one of less than 5 acres) is not the right place.