Hello all,
I want to try making some leaf mould and am in the process of collecting up
leaves around the garden. What I need to know is does it matter if there are
a few bits of twigs,stems and grass mixed in. These odd bits and pieces are
only a small amount. Will it make any overall difference to the finished
product? I know that you have to leave the gathered leaves for about a year
to compost.
Advice gratefully received.
Liz Steele

In article , Rob
writes
Hello all,
I want to try making some leaf mould and am in the process of collecting up
leaves around the garden. What I need to know is does it matter if there are
a few bits of twigs,stems and grass mixed in. These odd bits and pieces are
only a small amount. Will it make any overall difference to the finished
product? I know that you have to leave the gathered leaves for about a year
to compost.

Last year one of the speakers at our local horticultural society
recommended mixing a little green grass with the leaves. He reckoned it
speeded up the decomposition process!!!

We never bother to fish out any twigs - they help air circulation and
can always be fished out next year if they don't rot down

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

"Rob" wrote in message
...
Hello all,
I want to try making some leaf mould and am in the process of collecting
up
leaves around the garden. What I need to know is does it matter if there
are
a few bits of twigs,stems and grass mixed in. These odd bits and pieces
are
only a small amount. Will it make any overall difference to the finished
product? I know that you have to leave the gathered leaves for about a
year
to compost.
Advice gratefully received.
Liz Steele


Hi,
The only thing it will do is lengthen the time before the composting
process is complete. I have just started using compost from a leylandi
hedge which I shredded /chipped some 3 - 4 years ago. Lovely dark brown
stuff it is too.

Chris S

Why not stuff Black refuse bags full of damp leaves, they will compost down
much faster than on a heap.
You can remove twigs etc after if they haven't composted down


--
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"david" wrote in message
...
Why not stuff Black refuse bags full of damp leaves, they will compost
down
much faster than on a heap.
You can remove twigs etc after if they haven't composted down


Last year I collected leaves, in black plastic bags, with some of the school
children I work with. When I had a look at one of the bags last week I
discovered the leaves hadn't composted at all!

What did I do wrong?

What should I do now?

Natalie

In message , Natalie
writes
Last year I collected leaves, in black plastic bags, with some of the
school children I work with. When I had a look at one of the bags last
week I discovered the leaves hadn't composted at all!

producing leaf-mould is a different, anaerobic, slower process than
normal composting

What did I do wrong?

probably nothing - were the leave damp?

What should I do now?

probably just wait

--
dave @ stejonda

calculate your ecological footprint http://www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint/

"Natalie" wrote in message
...

"david" wrote in message
...
Why not stuff Black refuse bags full of damp leaves, they will compost
down
much faster than on a heap.
You can remove twigs etc after if they haven't composted down


Last year I collected leaves, in black plastic bags, with some of the
school
children I work with. When I had a look at one of the bags last week I
discovered the leaves hadn't composted at all!

What did I do wrong?

What should I do now?

Natalie

Make sure they are kept wet, and if you can persuade anyone to pee on them,
then that woould be good too, I'm sure - more for entertainment than
anything else, mind.

Chris S

'Twas Sun, 10 Nov 2002 15:10:22 -0000, when "Natalie"
enriched all our lives with these worthy
thoughts:

Last year I collected leaves, in black plastic bags, with some of the school
children I work with. When I had a look at one of the bags last week I
discovered the leaves hadn't composted at all!

What did I do wrong?

What should I do now?

Keep 'em damp and consider investing 3 quid in an 'activator'.
I use the Biotal one for oak leaves, which are notoriously stubborn
when it comes to decomposition, and that gives me the magic mulch for
me begonias in around 18 months rather than the 3-5 years it would
normally take.

--
cormaic URG faqs/webring - www.tmac.clara.co.uk/urgring/
Culcheth Garden - www.tmac.clara.co.uk/garden/
Warrington Paving - www.pavingexpert.com/
Peoples' Republic of South Lancashire

cormaic CAN BE FOUND AT borlochshall.co.uk

Make sure they are kept wet, and if you can persuade anyone to pee on them,
then that woould be good too, I'm sure - more for entertainment than
anything else, mind.

Chris S

Peeing on the leaves is a way of adding urea to the leaves as well as making
them moist. The leaves break down quicker if they are wet because
bacteria/fungi don't like to be too dry. Bacteria use up nitrates (nitrogen)
when they break down vegetable matter into compost so adding urea adds nitrates
which feeds the bacteria and speeds up the decomposition process.

I hope this explains a few things and is helpful. Happy composting.

Dave.

"Chris Stewart" wrote in message
...

"Natalie" wrote in message
...

"david" wrote in message
...
Why not stuff Black refuse bags full of damp leaves, they will compost
down
much faster than on a heap.
You can remove twigs etc after if they haven't composted down


Last year I collected leaves, in black plastic bags, with some of the
school
children I work with. When I had a look at one of the bags last week I
discovered the leaves hadn't composted at all!

What did I do wrong?

What should I do now?

Natalie

Make sure they are kept wet, and if you can persuade anyone to pee on
them,
then that woould be good too, I'm sure - more for entertainment than
anything else, mind.

Chris S



The leaves should be wet because they are in plastic bags that have holes in
them and we have had a lot of rain lately!

As the bags of leaves are in a primary school garden, there is no shortage
of boys to pee on them...but I don't know what my Head Teacher would think
of it ;-)

I'll leave them until the Spring and see if they have made any more
progress.

Natalie

"Natalie" wrote in message
...
:
: The leaves should be wet because they are in plastic bags that have holes
in
: them and we have had a lot of rain lately!
:
: As the bags of leaves are in a primary school garden, there is no shortage
: of boys to pee on them...but I don't know what my Head Teacher would think
: of it ;-)
:
: I'll leave them until the Spring and see if they have made any more
: progress.
:
: Natalie
:
What about the girls? I thought sexual discrimination was banned in schools
:O))

In article , K
writes
What about the girls?

Only if they are pre pubic!!
Too much oestrogen getting into our water systems as it is!!!!!!

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

"K" wrote in message
...

"Natalie" wrote in message
...
:
: The leaves should be wet because they are in plastic bags that have
holes
in
: them and we have had a lot of rain lately!
:
: As the bags of leaves are in a primary school garden, there is no
shortage
: of boys to pee on them...but I don't know what my Head Teacher would
think
: of it ;-)
:
: I'll leave them until the Spring and see if they have made any more
: progress.
:
: Natalie
:
What about the girls? I thought sexual discrimination was banned in
schools
:O))


There is nothing like positive descrimination ;-)

Boys tend to know exactly what to do...they like something to aim for! We'd
probably have too many wet knickers if we let the girls have a go ;-)

Natalie