Are beech leaves detrimental?

[Digeroo]

Very little grows under a beech tree.  I had the idea that something in the leaves stop anything growing. 

If you have leaves with too many beech leaves in it, does this have a detrimental effect.

Ash also is a bit of an issue.  If you grow beans up an ash pole the bean dies.  Are the leaves also killers?

[Digeroo]

[Unwashed]

Beech has such a dense canopy that nothing can grow in that little light, that's why the bluebells get it all over with so soon.  I've heard that oaks inhibit acorns from germinating but I've never heard that there's anything nasty in beech leaves.

[landimad]

Not sure what the problem is, but hopefully this link will assist you.

http://www.discover.ltd.uk/downloads/examples/NutrientCyclingIB_2009.pdf

I must say that in the woods where I do felling the plants do not seem to be bothered what is growing in the canopy.
Plenty of growth small medium and large are there for all manner of wildlife and forna.

[Digeroo]

Many thanks for the link.  Some interesting stuff there.  Mentions the toxins in beech seems they are full of tannins and polyphenols. 

I will be sure to get stuck into the Chi squared test.  ::)  It will make a change from the standard deviation. ;D

But Unwashed has given me a good idea.  There is a blubell wood near here which is also a beech wood, so I  wonder whether this has developed a communities of bugs that can process the beech leaves well.

[gwynleg]

Not in the licquor that Hugh Fernley whatsit describes - Noyeau - use young beech leaves with gin and vodka and sugar. I have to try it next year.

[redimp]

I use mainly beech leaves and I find they rot down very well and make a lovely crumbly very dark brown mulch.  Unlike the London Plane which is my other staple and takes ages.  The worms seem to like beech mould too so no problems there.

[Geoff H]

Rotted beech leaves produce the best leaf mould, there is nothing in them to inhibit plant growth, quite ther opposite.
Collect the leaves and put them somewhere to rot.
As Unwashed says it is the dense canopy that prevents growth. It is so dense and dark that very little light gets through. Also beech has a very shallow spreading root system that sucks all the moisture from the surface soil.
I would not have thought Ash has anything that is toxic. I think it is second to beech in the quality of its leaf mould and ash woods have very rich ground floor vegatation. In my county the ash woods contain lots of wild orchids, some of which are very fussy about soil.