Anyone use a leaf shredder thingy?

[Squash64]

A neighbour gave me a bag of leaves he had collected using a shredder thing.     The leaves were nicely minced up and seemed as though they will rot down very quickly.

Does anyone else use one?

[Squash64]

[budgiebreeder]

Yes i have one,having a wood at the bottom of my garden, leaves can be quite a problem at this time of year.I do use it but find it quite heavy to use....maybe this is because i am a little old lady .They are good with dry leaves .

[thifasmom]

i also have a ton of leaves to deal with at this time of year and have been itching to get my hand on one of those machines for a while now but whenever they come up on freecycle i always miss out :(

[asbean]

If they're dry enough (which they usually aren't) I put them through the regular shredder a few times.  Minces them up nicely.

[grannyjanny]

We've got one & it is heavy. I thought I would spread the leaves on the lawn & use the lamn mower on them to chop  them up. I ve got some leaf bags from Wyevale & some leaf mould accelerator so hopefully it won't take to long.

[manicscousers]

Ray has one, got it in lidl? a couple of years ago, he swears by it, we have 7 fruit trees in our garden so lots of leaves  ;D

[Slug_killer]

Not only do i have a big garden with lots of leaves but I also 'harvest' the grren council bags of leaves. My leaf composter requires 40 bags a year.

I bought a leaf blower/shredder several years ago, but it used to keep jamming and also made my arm hurt.

Now I just use a lawnmower, does exactly the same job and its one less power tool to keep in the shed.

[Digeroo]

How long does it take to compost leaves?  It it quicker with a shredder thingy?

[Slug_killer]

Mine take 12 months. I'm just tipping this years out ready to fill it up again.

The only thing I add to shredded leaves is grass cuttings - as much as I can, but not more than 50% of the total volume and well mixed in.

[1066]

The only thing I add to shredded leaves is grass cuttings - as much as I can, but not more than 50% of the total volume and well mixed in.

thanks for that SlugKiller - I hadn't thought of mixing them with grass. Might try and give that a go -  I presume the results are lovely crumbly compost?! Mind you I don't have that many bags of leaves - maybe 6 or so max. Last year I bagged mine up and then when I was digging my bean trenches I added some leaves into them. Got great beans  ;D

[Digeroo]

then when I was digging my bean trenches I added some leaves into them

I like the sound of that.  I thought they took longer to rot down.  When you say some, what sort of quanitites do you mean.  Did you do this in the autumn?

[1066]

Digeroo - I'm trying to remember! Maybe about an inch deep of leaves along with the veggie peelings. I do remember the plants did well and as I also mulched with grass clippings the ground didn't seem to dry out too quickly and I'm hoping when I come to turn the ground over the soil (read heavy clay) will be in better condition. I did this in late autumn and early winter

1066

[Slug_killer]

Not so much compost, more soil conditioner.

I also use it for final stage potting up of well established plants going into 2ltr or 3ltr pots or larger.

A good amount is used when planting my dahlias and tomatoes in May.
   

[Duke Ellington]

We have a leaf blower/shredder and it has little wheels on the end so when I use it i tend to move it around like a vaccum cleaner. I too find it a litte heavy even with the shoulder strap. If you have lots of leaves its a long process to pick up ....empty the bag...pick  up etc. I like to use it as a blower ~ and blow the leaves into a heap. If I didn't have more important things to spend my money on I would buy one like this:~

http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/Merchant2/4.13/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=Alko750B&Category_Code=BVAC

Duke ;D
   
 

[Digeroo]

Wow £420 is quite a price tag.  Actually I just tend to use the lawn mower, sucks up and shreds leaves quite well.

[Slug_killer]

http://www.gardening-tools-direct.co.uk/Merchant2/4.13/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=Alko750B&Category_Code=BVAC

Isn't that just a 4hp lawnmower with a funny shaped nose and a large back end ?

[Duke Ellington]

Slug killer ~ its a special piece of leaf collecting machinery of the highest quality!! ;) :P

Duke