Leaf mould

Can i make leaf mould in a green plastic composter?

 

Thats exactly what I use. Every autumn I stuff all the leaves from my apple trees into a composter, one year later the resulting leafmold is taken out, riddled and put one side until spring and the whole process started off again.

Almost no nutrients at all in leafmold, but a great soil conditioner or addition to potting mixes.

a-a

 

Last year I collected a large bin bag full of leaves (mostly sycamore) and left it behind the shed for a year, plenty of holes in the bag, kept it moist, shook it up every few weeks.
However still looks like damp leaves, not worked very well.

Any ideas what I did wrong?
Cheers
D

 

Might be the shaking up, leafmold is a fungal process, might have stopped the mycelium growing.

I currently have a dustbin full of damp leaves which are already breaking down, these were from tree felling in the summer.

Have started a new pile of autumn leaves, got them weighted down with an old rat cage.

 

Do I need to use freshly fallen wet leaves or can I use dry ones that have fallen a while ago and wet them myself?

 

Both will do, just think about what goes on in the woods........:OUCH:

....Now think about what happens when the leaves fall:inautumnleaves:

 

He did at first, but now he can see the benefits:D

 

Leaf mould can take 2 seasons to rot down. And I think it depends on the type leaf?

The sycamore leaves I collected last year rotted down beautifully.
The silver birch collected at the same time is still completely intact!

 

If anyone has acid loving plants collect some pine needles if you can find some, they make an excellent mulch for plants like Camellias, Rhoddy's, Magnolias etc and are very effective :thumb:

 

The Elm leaves I started in the summer are half way there already, mind you they were green when I started them off. Absolutely packed with creatures.



Must have been going since august, gave it a good wet down at first but nothing since.

 

Oh, should you not shake em up then? Thought you'd have to turn it like compost, although I know it's not bacterial.
How damp/wet should they be kept?

Cheers
D

 

Usually enough just to leave the pile out in the rain, I only wet mine down as they had dried out crisp after being felled in the summer.

Looking at the number of Woodlice & other things breeding in it, I think they would have an effect on breaking it down as well as the fungus mycellium.

 

I have had the same problem too. Am going to get myself an old dustbin and try that instead. You don't need to cut the bottom out of it do you, just put a few holes near the bottom?