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How to make leaf mold a little more nutrious for plants
Chris Mason
Posts: 159
How can I make leaf mold a little more nutritious for my plants? I understand that if I want to put nutrients in my soil I'm best off using fertilizers, composts and various mulches but what would happen if I filed a 15 gallon plastic bucket with shredded leaf and some green materials(stinging nettles, chopped banana skins, washed crushed egg shells etc)? Would I eventually end up with a fairy nutritious product or would I simply be best off using an actual compost bin and produce leaf compost?
I've got some red current bushes and I want to give them a little love next spring. Before anybody suggest it, I've already got a very large hippo bag full of leafs which are doing quite a nice job at breaking down... Thank you0
Posts
Leaf mould isn't designed to be nutritious as such Chris. It's a soil conditioner. If you have nettles, next year put them in a bucket and use the resulting liquid for fertiliser, diluted.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Do you add to a compost bin throughout the year? I have one large bin sitting on my allotment but I thought to ignore it when the temperature drops rather than keep filling it up. It seems such a waste to throw away peelings etc and egg shells in winter.
any advice?
I add to my compost bins all year round Jan 11. Someone on the forum suggested drying egg shells in the over and crushing them to make them break down more quickly in the compost bin. Works a treat I have to say.
I started my first compost in a bin in October and at the moment the stuff is just sitting there doing nothing much, so I'm glad to read that others do add to their composts year-round.
I always put a handful of shredded paper in a new bag in my kitchen compost pail, it soaks excess moisture and makes the bag less unpleasant to handle when I take it to the allotment.
I line the kitchen bin with a couple of sheets of newspaper Aster. you're not alone.
Cool! I'll remember that for when I run out of shredded paper.
BTW Aster, don't worry your compost bin seems inactive now, it'll perk up in Spring, honest.
Thanks! I need all the encouragement I can get, because it's December and there's still January and February and March and April before anything interesting starts growing.
trust me, by April things will be happening deep in the depths of the compost bin.
Gentlemen's , erm, recycled liquids help too.