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Can I use any leaves for leaf mould?
HyppyByker
Posts: 146
I never have enough leaf mould from tree leaves and looking at the patch of crocosmia ready to be cleared wondered if those could go in the leaf mould rather than with the compost. Any thoughts?
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Posts
If you break them up a bit I don't see any reason why not. I usually put mine on the compost heap. If you have a local park why not get some free leaves from there, or from neighbours.
I would say crocosmia leaves being fleshy would be best on the compost heap, the texture of the blown leaves is much different. We have lanes of trees and a wood near by so taking a black bag and collecting more is not a hardship. Leaf mould will take a year or more compost a matter of months three during summer six over winter. Good leaf mould is pure gold when it comes to plants so I keep it separate.
Frank.
Is it ok to bag up leaf mould from the local woods ? Or is that a no no?
My local golf course piles all the leaves into the same area in the woods every year,
Also how thick do I have to spread it ?
Thanks
You should always get the permission of the owner.
How long would sycamore leaves take to rot down? The stalks seem to be rather tough so could I use them or should they go to the rubbish tip or is there something I could add that could speed up the composting process?
I read in the October issue of Gardeners World an article about leafmould in which it is recommended to add laurel leaves to the leafmould. However, is this wise? I seem to remember reading somewhere that laurel leaves contain cyanide, albeit small amounts, but under the circumstances there is no way I would add these leaves to leafmould especially if used on a veg plot. Could someone please advise me, and others, on this?
Madeleine - I had a big maple in a previous garden and had loads of leaves for leaf mould. I used a mesh bin but as the tree got bigger I put them in black bin bags with holes. They rotted down no problem in both cases. If you have a lawnmower with a collecting bag/box ( and the inclination!) - you can pile bundles of leaves on the ground and mow over them before you store them. It just makes them smaller and they break down a bit more quickly
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Mr Don suggests using any type of leaf from deciduous trees.
Evergreen leaves take ages to break down
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.