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Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: bridbod on November 02, 2011, 20:36:04

Title: instant leaf mould
Post by: bridbod on November 02, 2011, 20:36:04
If I put fallen tree leaves in an empty water butt and shred em with an electric strimmer I end up with instant leafmould ... or is life never that easy ? it certainly beats waiting a year or two  ;D  comments most welcome
Title: Re: instant leaf mould
Post by: Duke Ellington on November 02, 2011, 20:47:21
Nope......even shredded leaves take time but shredding them speeds up the process. It will still take a year at the least.

Duke :)
Title: Re: instant leaf mould
Post by: pumkinlover on November 02, 2011, 21:11:20
Quote from: bridbod on November 02, 2011, 20:36:04
If I put fallen tree leaves in an empty water butt and shred em with an electric strimmer I end up with instant leafmould ... or is life never that easy ? it certainly beats waiting a year or two  ;D  comments most welcome

Had to read that twice as I came out in a cold sweat when I read "water butt" and "electric strimmer"  in the same sentance.
Reasured by the empty bit.!
Title: Re: instant leaf mould
Post by: lincsyokel2 on November 02, 2011, 21:33:51
Quote from: pumpkinlover on November 02, 2011, 21:11:20
Quote from: bridbod on November 02, 2011, 20:36:04
If I put fallen tree leaves in an empty water butt and shred em with an electric strimmer I end up with instant leafmould ... or is life never that easy ? it certainly beats waiting a year or two  ;D  comments most welcome

Had to read that twice as I came out in a cold sweat when I read "water butt" and "electric strimmer"  in the same sentance.
Reasured by the empty bit.!

thats what outboard motors are for.
Title: Re: instant leaf mould
Post by: Kleftiwallah on November 03, 2011, 12:17:45


Ditto pumpkinlover ! ! !    Cheers,    Tony.
Title: Re: instant leaf mould
Post by: Digeroo on November 03, 2011, 16:16:11
I am a very impatient sort.  I put leaves into compost dalek for the winter and then come may I want the dalek.  So what to I do with partly rotten leaves, so I simply bury them and planted beans on top.  Had a good crop of beans and come autumn I dug through and the leaves had more or less disappeared and there were loads of worms.  Also used the partly rotted leaves as a mulch, by the end of the summer they had disappeared too even though I had put straw on top to stop them drying out and blowing away.   Having lots of leaves around seems to please the worms.

Leaves need fungus to decompose not sure that instant comes into it.