Latt
Your probably right to leave them alone and hope for the best.
If the seedlings have worked their way into the mulch, it would be nearly impossible to lift the mulch off without killing some or most by snapping the tops off the stems. Anf if they do find their way through the leaves, they sould be able to form a new bud and emerge next spring.
Mulching the leaves with a mower works well. I did it a few years back and found that raking off the leaves and then running the mower over the leaves several times worked well to chop the leaves up. Then rake them back onto the seeded beds. It is alot of work. But if thats what is needed to insure that they come up well, then it's worth the extra effort.
I think we all would go to great lengths to have success.
Good Luck!
classicfur
