Leaf Mold

15 years ago

Do any of you make leaf mold? I read it can take a few years to break down. Is this a realistic time frame? I am thinking that I can get some leaves this fall, even though around my part of Texas, we mainly have ornamental and pine trees.

Once it is completed, do you use it as mulch?

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

digdirt2
15 years ago
Hi Lisa - lots of discussions here on leaf mold and some FAQ's too. I linked them below.

Yes, it is great stuff to use as either a mulch or just as you would compost but it takes quite some time to break down - a year is about average. Shredding the leaves first makes it go faster but it is still much slower than compost.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Leaf Mold discussions
Kimmsr
15 years ago
How long it will take any pile of leaves to become leaf mold depends on the composition of that pile. There are some leaves, Oak, that have preservatives that slow the digestion process down considerably while others, Acer (Maple), more often than not will be digested almost as soon as they hit the ground.
Then there is the moisture level, leaves that are too dry for the bacteria to work will hang around for a long time as will leaves that are too wet for the bacteria to work on (you can find 5 year old leaves in swampy area very often).
I have a pile of 5 year old Oak leaves, still in about the same shape they were in when I brought them home, although the Oak leaves that were shredded up and plopped onto the turf have all been digested by the Soil Food Web and that turf is growing greener, thicker, faster than the surrounding area that did not get that treatment.
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"Natures_Nature, try it. Part of the fun of gardening & growing things is experimenting & learning as you go :)" I will experiment.. My main concern is damp off, everyone freaks about a "sterile" medium.. This seems a liitle ridiculous, taking in account no plant was ever in a sterile medium before, most plants are covered in tons of microorganisms.. These organisms is what helped these plants survive, they adapted the them for how long? Having a basic understanding of the soil food web tells you, the first thing that enters a sterile medium is most likely pathogens, because the beneficials are lacking. Now if those organisms were there like they are supposed to be, would we have damp off and other problems? Most people over water, or keep their soil too moist for too long, leading to damp off with any medium.. I trully believe damp is more about other factors like overwatering, poor air circ, too hot, other then sterile mediums..
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Very strange. Never seen anything quite like that either. Can you get a pic closer into the yellow spots themselves? I'd tend to agree that is isn't any disease process. More likely necrotic tissue from a transient moisture or nutrient issue. If those are the only ones I'd just remove them and keep and eye on it. Dave
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Mold spores exist in the air and soil all around us all the time. They only become an issue for the garden when the climate conditions drift into that "ideal" proliferation range for them - overly warm temps with excessively high humidity. Sound like a garden? So since we can't control the environment all that much anything you do now to attempt to eradicate them will likely have little effect next year. The key is active treatment of the issue with fungicides both before and immediately as it develops. But there are things that make the gardener fell better - like bagging and disposing of the plants rather than composting. You can spray down the cages if you wish with a 10% bleach solution but spores will develop on them again over the winter. Even freezing temps won't kill them. They just go dormant. So IMO it all depends on how much work you want to do after the horse is out of the barn vs. work next year keeping the horse in the barn. ;-) Dave
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Other than implying that their leaf mold compost possesses properties not available elsewhere - it doesn't.....ALL composts will do the exactly the same - there is nothing out of line or just sales hype here. Leaf mold really is a fabulous product. A visit to the Soils, Compost and Mulch forum at this time of year typically turns up dozens of posts about the lengths many gardeners will go to gather fallen leaves free for the taking in their locales to convert into their own leaf mold compost. Or add to their own compost piles. Even if you lived in an area where fallen leaves are scarce, just your basic yard waste and kitchen scraps compost will provide the exact same benefits. Everyone should have a compost pile if at all possible.....it keeps stuff out of landfills and is an excellent soil conditioner and amendment.
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Leaf Mold

Comments (2)

digdirt2

Kimmsr

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