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Leave mulch advice please
Beebop164
Posts: 40
Morning all.
I built two large leaf bins last summer. In the Autumn, I collected the fallen leaves (oak/beech/ some sycamore). Some were chopped up using a lawn vacuum, some weren't.
The bins are quite sheltered under the huge oak tree but I have tried to keep them damp. I turned them in early spring. I would say the volume has shrunk by around 30-50%.
When can I use this material? To be honest it still just looks like a pile of dried leaves...though they are more crumbly. It doesn't look like "Monty's Black gold"
I think if I use it as a surface mulch it will dry out and blow all over? I was going to mix it with well rotted manure and work it into the very malnourished soil?
I kind of want to use it as I will have no where to put the leaves this year!
Thank you.
I built two large leaf bins last summer. In the Autumn, I collected the fallen leaves (oak/beech/ some sycamore). Some were chopped up using a lawn vacuum, some weren't.
The bins are quite sheltered under the huge oak tree but I have tried to keep them damp. I turned them in early spring. I would say the volume has shrunk by around 30-50%.
When can I use this material? To be honest it still just looks like a pile of dried leaves...though they are more crumbly. It doesn't look like "Monty's Black gold"
I think if I use it as a surface mulch it will dry out and blow all over? I was going to mix it with well rotted manure and work it into the very malnourished soil?
I kind of want to use it as I will have no where to put the leaves this year!
Thank you.
0
Posts
But mainly, it's too soon. I would not be looking to use any until this autumn at the earliest, or early spring most likely. I tend to decant the previous year's into bags in autumn (it spends the first year in a builder's dumpy bag, so I then put the next lot in), use some but retain most for another 6 months to 1 year. That's when it gets to the 'black gold' stage. It also depends what leaves are in it, but all take a year minimum in my experience.
Presumably you don't need to use the space for another 3 or 4 months? I'd probably mix some grass clippings in now and keep it all rather damp. In a couple of months you could certainly use it with well rotted manure as you've suggested. You could do that now- but you're right that you'll probably need to at least tickle it into the soil.
Don't give up on the idea of making leaf mould. I don't make leaf mould as such because I believe it can take a couple of seasons to rot down properly.
I gather leaves in autumn and store them in dumpy bags next to the compost bins. They're kept damp (wet even) with rain and my watering and by spring the next year they've started to break down. At this point I start to add them to the compost bin as they make a useful 'brown' layer when there is a surplus of 'greens'. I've nearly emptied the bags now but my regular addition to the compost bin at the moment is a 4" layer of grass clippings followed by a 2" layer of partially rotted leaves. By early next year this bin will have produced compost suitable for late winter / spring mulching
I have a bin bag of leaves also....kind of an experiment from last year. This is beech.
I think I will turn it, keep damping it ( I might chuck the washing up water on it...ecological washing up liquid)
Thanks for the replies, I just have to be patient.
I have used old compost bags..should I pierce the bags?
I have run out of bags so I think my second pile will have to be shared with friends or out on the beds for winter mulch?