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Leaf mould?
Rob Lockwood
Posts: 380
Second question of the day 
Leaf mould: I have tons of leaves and a
compost dalek. Would you put the leaves in the dalek with all the other
stuff or "make leaf mould" by sticking them in bags? What's the
difference with / use of the end product and does keeping them separate speed up /
slow down the process? Leavs are silver birch and apple.
Leaf mould: I have tons of leaves and a
compost dalek. Would you put the leaves in the dalek with all the other
stuff or "make leaf mould" by sticking them in bags? What's the
difference with / use of the end product and does keeping them separate speed up /
slow down the process? Leavs are silver birch and apple.Thanks!
0
Posts
Compost uses bacteria and leaf mould uses fungi apparently,
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
Proper composting should be a hot relatively fast process largely driven by bacterial action. The conventional advice is if you only have a few leaves then best mix them into the general compost. If you have plenty of leaves make a leaf bay and treat them separately. The alternative option is to put them in old compost bags . A bag full of leaves will only give enough leaf mould to mulch round 2-3 plants . At all times keep leaves damp, dry leaves will not break down.
I'd echo the others when saying that it's better to have them separate, as it's a different process for breaking down. You can certainly speed up the leaves by shredding [a mower is fine] but it depends how much you have and whether that's feasible.
Compost bags are ideal if you don't have room for a leaf cage, and you can turn them inside out so that they look better. They need plenty of holes in them, and the leaves also need to be kept damp. If you make a cage, just check them now and again to make sure they have enough moisture. That will depend on your climate, and where you have the cage sited. Many places have very dry winters, so if that's the case, you can give them a bit of water, and a quick mix so that it's evenly distributed.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Another use for leaf mould I heard relatively recently is for hardy perennial and shrubby cuttings. Apparently it encourages very strong root development. Not tried it myself yet, but I will.