i have bag fulls of shredded up dead leaves. do u think i should add some to the soil so it can decompose and add some nutes to the soil? thanks a lot
One, I would get them out of the bags (just dump into one great big pile) or slice holes in the bags while they are in there. You want plenty of air flow. Two, I would be hesitant about mixing them in with your soil. I think they would be better as a top dressing/mulch. But much, much better would be to make a compost pile (your dead, shredded leaves are perfect for a compost pile). I have a pile of partially compoted leaves siting in a Compost Sack (it breathes) and it will go into my thermo compost bin to cook for two weeks, then that compost will be put into another Compost Sack to cure while I whip up another batch.
use the search function for weedroid's 'black leaf mold compost' thread. there are instructions for how to use it properly
Cool, good start, can you access alfalfa meal? If so make a pile and add layers of alfalfa meal. If you have old soil add that too, even dead weeds. Make sure they are shredded well, that makes a difference. Then pretty much treat the pile as alive as a plant, wet it, feed it like a plant, turn it over once in a while, and wahla compost......And check out that leaf mold thread....MIW
If you put down a layer of leaves on the dirt outside and cover it with a little dirt or compost, it should be mostly gone by next spring. Assuming you get a little snow/rain over the winter, or keep it wet.
I'll throw in with this. Be sure you know what tree the leaves are from. Oak being arguably "the best" but perhaps in the sense that it won't poison your compost or your soil if you till them in directly. There is a term, allelopathic, which means that certain plant species secrete substances poisonous to other plants. Black Walnut leaves for example are one of those species and absolutely, 100% guarantee you that they will kill just about every annual plant species there is. Including MJ. So, just be careful what leaves you use to put in your compost or soil. The other thing I'll toss at you is this. The concept of leaf mold should be considered in the 'soil tilth' category of thinking and be viewed primarily as a soil conditioner. Any nutritive or elemental value to plants is secondary when discussing the value of leaves. That said, there are studies where agricultural crops grown in soil heavily conditioned with leaf mold out performed in yield by a significant margin agricultural crops grown in non-leaf mold. Just know what the value is, any potential risk with allelopathic species, and have fun with it. Grow mo Green!
Good point on the Black Walnut Possuum. They are also a no no for your worm bins/worms. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Chunk uses a natural de-worming concoction she gets from her friend that makes an herbal anti parasite medicine for humans. It contains Black Walnut, wormwood, grapefruit seed oil and cloves among other ingredients. Her friend actually makes a liquid extract with these various plant materials, and the leftover sludge is a powerful wormer for our chickens and turkeys. Mrs.Chunk mixes the sludge in with their chicken scratch, adds water and makes a gruel that the birds fight over to eat. It's definitely noteworthy that not all leaves are beneficial to our gardens. Thanks for the heads up. chunk
Good point P38. I pitched a FPE made from ferns for that very reason. I made it, then chickened out. My plants are going well, and I'd hate to mess that up, even if the risk was slight.....MIW
I'm wondering the same thing about my azalea and fig leaves. I have 2 acres, and the majority of the fall leaf litter is oak. I've never had troubles in the garden with using a little of all of it, but for my"specialty" composts I'm steering clear of anything I'm not sure of. Speaking of such, I'd better get off my arse and get to raking and hauling. 5 tons of leaf litter doesn't pick itself up, ya know?
Here is wiki on allelopathy just add your plant and allelopathy in a search. That is how I found out about ferns, well someone told me, then I did a search and found the link. I think I would have been ok in a em1 fermentation and the ferns around here grow in grass and other ground cover, but I put it on some weeds growing next to my foundation to see if it kills them for a test.........MIW Allelopathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And a "weed" is simply a plant for which no beneficial use has yet been found to change its status from 'noxious' to 'beneficial'. Amazing what plants can do. Anyone see the current state of the land around Chernobyl? Not only weird but actually very amazing. Now those plants there, I wouldn't want to add them to my compost Peace and give a plant a kind word today. They work hard for us
Good stuff. Compost Rocks! Possum, I second the "great info" regarding some species of negative compost additives. I didnt know that! (Not that I have any walnuts nearby) jerry.
I have read an article or 2 on the subject, as well as seen a documentary (Like that makes me an expert, huh ) Very interesting to see how fast life can bounce back. "They" are actually surprised at how well and diverse the wildlife is so soon after the accident. If I remember correctly, the mushrooms have the highest level of radioactivity because they do the best job of collecting it from the environment. Wild pigs like to eat the shrooms, so they have elevated levels as well.
I used to like to eat 'shrooms too...but that was a long time ago now... I wonder how long it will really take before its simply not even noticable that there was an "accident" there. jerry.
It's not noticeable now. Unless you have a geiger counter with you. I heard they also used hemp to suck out the radiation from the soil.