@@simplifygardening hey last year I put a truck bed full of aged black horse manure and I put maple leaves rototilled directly into my hard clay soil trying to break up the hard ground. This year I tilled many more like 1 to 2 feet deep of leaves in my garden. I'm scared I may have thrown the soil chemistry out of wack or is it fine u think to plant in a garden with leaves tilled in. I was trying to add carbon and nitrogen and improve drainage scared I ruined this years garden
An excellent video. You absolutely right that the secret to producing leaf mould is to shred the leaves as finely as possible. Not only to speed up the process but to save bags and the transfer between bags as the leaves decompose and shrink in volume. The ideal shredder would be a nylon corded shredder working like a strimmer but I have not found this product on the UK market. It is available in the US but there is no point in importing it as it is electric and hences requires a 110v/60 c/s supply. I have therefore resorted to using a batch process using a strimmer. I bought a B&D GL9035 strimmer because it has a curved shaft making it easier to access the leaf container. I use the HDL (Heavy Duty Line) option and dispense with the guard. But I do always wear protective glasses! Importantly, I also bought a speed controller for the strimmer (SMSCOM Smart Controller Mk 2) so that I could adjust the speed of the strimmer such that it was fast enough to shred the leaves but not using the full speed which sends the leaves flying everywhere and can damage the plastic bags containing the leaves. I initially tried shredding a quantity of leaves in a container such as large dustbin. But I found the method was cumbersome and clumps of (wet) leaves would stick to the bottom and refuse to be strimmed! So I now proceed as follows : Put the leaves in a large plastic garden container, such as the bulk bags in your video. Then simply strim/shred the top layer of leaves using the speed controller to get the right speed to shred the leaves without sending them flying or damaging the container. You will find that there is a limit to how deep a layer can be shredded. When the this top layer attains the degree of fineness required just pick up the shredded leaf layer by hand and put it in the bag to be used for storage/decomposition. If any leaves are transfrred which are considered to be insufficiently shredded then give them a quick strim/shred in this second bag. Then return to the bag containing the unshredded leaves and repeat the process by shredding the next layer. I find this method is the quickest and most efficient so far without the advantage of a continuous flow process with a nylon corded shredder specifically designed for shredding leaves.
Good video. I've been composting leaves for years and have tried various methods of collecting and composting. I find those "leaf vacs" absolutely useless for breaking down leaves. Lawn mowers are not much better. If you're lucky enough to have a weedeater then you can put the leaves in a garbage pail or heavy-duty plastic bucket to shred them almost to a powder. Collecting the leaves is fairly easy if you have a lawn mower with a clippings catcher. Best is a lawn tractor with a large grass clippings catcher attached. That field in which you were raking and collecting leaves could be completed in 5 minutes with a lawn tractor and attachment. Thanks for posting.
@@simplifygardening I disagree. I have 15 large oak trees and been composting for over 20 years. Last year it yielded about 3,000 pounds of compost. It used to take up to 2 years to complete a cycle but this year the cycle was 9 months. Composting requires carbon ( brown leaves ) ; nitrogen ( green cuttings ) ; water ; and oxygen. The key steps are 1) mulch fallen leaves with either a lawn mower or a leaf vac. This breaking up increases the surface areas for mold, bacteria whatever to get past the surface wax of the leaves. I figure that mulching breaks 7 bags of leaves down to about 1 bag of mulch 2) add as much green material as you can ( lawn grass clippings ) for nitrogen . The idea of adding urine does the same thing, but does not seem practical it you have more than 1 or 2 trees and a discreet location. 3)Soak all the mulched leaves and make sure all mulched leaves and grass are wet, Years ago I got some bad advice saying that chlorinated water would kill the bacteria. Nonsense. Soak the suckers ! 4) Throw in a couple shovels of old compost for each batch or two of newly mulched leaves 5) Turn occasionally with a pitch fork or pick ax as you build your pile, compost needs oxygen and this also spreads active bacteria / mold to other areas of the pile. By mid October, my pile was already cooking well . Over time, the volume of your pile will compress from weight etc. and its good to break up any pockets that might form. 6) By mid November all the leaves have fallen and should be mulched. I then cover the entire pile with a black mesh tarp ( the rain will pass thru it ) for the winter for cosmetics ( my wife's orders ) and perhaps to absorb some winter sunlight heat 7) In the spring, give the pile good turn. My pile is so large ( 20 feet X 10 feet X 4 feet ) I spread this out over time 8) From April on, add grass cuttings and mix these in . 9) By mid July, parts of the pile will have composted and turn as needed. 10) By August, you'll need to start putting the compost to work to free up space for the upcoming autumn leaf fall. For me this was over 50 large wheelbarrows of rich compost. One of my challenges each year is figuring where to move it all. addin
@@simplifygardening hi chap, we are going to be purchasing a leaf blower that mulches at a ratio of 16 to 1, how many passes would you recommend putting the leaves through, some of them are large such as maple, a little oak, some beech, and a fair amount of London plane with a smattering of ash. Cheers love the channel.
Great video. My neighbors rake their leaves and give them to me and I make leaf mold for my garden every year. This is a great technique. God Bless and take care.
I have found that the fastest and easiest way to shred my leaves is to mow over them with my riding mower until they are as small as I want and then I sweep them up with my leaf sweeper pulled behind the mower. It has made fall clean up so much easier for me. It’s fast and not very many trips back and forth with my sweeper. I can just dump the full sweeper and start building my piles.
You are so welcome! Sorry for the late reply. A load of comments said they were responded to even though they were not. I am slowly working through them all.
Good informative video.. Black gold for free😄 Remember to check for any wildlife / hedgehogs when collecting an existing pile of leaves Cheers......Nigel
Suzy you will get great leaf mould its so fast I use tons of it every year and in fact later this year I am going to build a diy leaf mulcher I have an idea for
Hi tony .Glad I watch your film today that's help me out I always put mine in black bin bags for 18 mth now its only going to take me 6 mth ....thank for your good info and films there very helpful ..........dave .....
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Very useful video ! This year I made my first compost with leafs however without chopping them up and insulating the compost bin and with the sticks for the air in between the layers of sod and horse manure. I hope it will not take it over a year to decompose but will see ;)
Hello Tony, great production and all the information we need to make our own Leaf Mould, thankyou. 😆 Happily Growing on my own allotment channel in North Warwickshire, England Terry
I have subscribed to your channel as I need more input. I am a horticulturalist ( nursery trained) from Padstow, Sydney. Australia. We were taught very briefly about( due to our allelopathic leaves) leaf mould and it’s benefits. We were taught that leaf mould is a soil conditioner not a compost as us state in your videos. What were you:taught?
Hey Tony, I read your book about composting and it’s really great with lots of valuable information. However I wanted to confirm, is producing leaf mold aerobic or anaerobic? Because some sources online do say that fungi require oxygen to survive. Just making sure I understand from a master composter! Thanks
Thank you so much UKHWG for this tutorial. I do have a question, is there a urine to material ratio that should be followed for leaf mould and for composting in general?
no its just nitrogen so makes no difference Sorry for the late reply. had some issues with comments not showing that they had not been answered, so I am getting through them
hello, I have a lot of leaves I have collected for winter for red earthworms but they don't eat everything, so tomorrow I'm going to make compost according to your advice.
If I’m making it in one of those giant white totes (like in the video) would I have to make holes in the bottom for any drainage or to let the worms come in?
I was just burying my leaves which are mainly from Walnut trees, but this is a whole new aspect on making good compost. I wonder if, instead of adding urine, I could just add straw/hay from my neighbour's sheep barn as that is full of urine and sheep droppings - what do you reckon Tony?
I tried to start some leaf mould last fall by placing the chopped leaves in black plastic bags with some water and a small bit of coffee grounds, then poking holes and leaving them on a sunny side of my house for the winter. I went to check on them the other day and they smell very rancid. I am assume that at this point they have become anerobic and not useful. I am hoping that if I let them sit longer eventually that will dissipate as they further breakdown. But I am not sure. This was my first time trying that method.
Kyra they went rancid because of the nitrogen in the coffee grounds, You do not need to add this to leaf mould as its not compost, it doesn't need nitrogen to break down as its a fungal action not bacterial or microbial. next time just use leaves and water and place in the shade not the sun
Im limited on space but if i was to use an old wheelie bin using the same process would i need to do anything to the bin for example, ventilation or drainage holes
Brilliant video! I've watched EVERY video on making leaf mould and yours is by far the best. Thanks a million. Bought some of those paddles today in a store called Walmart here in the states. Reduced to a couple of dollars because we have no idea what to do with them. So I bought some for my trips to the park :) May I ask a couple of questions please Can I grow in the fully composted mould when it's dark and fluffy like you show at the end? And What other manure can I use in place of horse manure? Would store bought chicken manure or store bought composted steer manure work? Or coffee grounds? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge in such fun and concise way
That's excellent Ed the paddles are great for collecting leaves and makes a big difference to your day when doing this. I am glad the video was of interest, keep viewing there are loads of other tips like this on our channel and much more to come. Leaf mould is ideal for sowing seeds or planting plants that like forest style conditions, but its also great for adding to multipurpose compost to aid in water retention and structure of the soil. its also very good to use as a mulch in borders and beds, any manure or nitrogen based item such as coffee steer chicken cow horse can all be used, even human urine could be used as a nitrogen source. hope this helps anything else just shout Tony
+UK Here We Grow thanks for getting back with incredible answers. Surprising that you actually read the whole question and answer! Incredible! I'm a subscriber and truly appreciate your channel
Hey, Tony. Since your'e sort of compacting the leaves, does it mean that they don't require turning for aeration like compost does? I officially started my leaf mold making yesterday. I bought a shredder, ran the leaves through thrice, put them in a trash can (with holes drilled into it) that I usually use to make compost, and wet them with a "tea" of horse manure and woodland topsoil. I look forward to seeing what October brings. Thanks for all your instruction.
Bacteria breakdown is when bacteria are doing the work like in composts. but when you make leafmould its a fungal break down, so fungi do the work not bacteria
I just leave my leaves as it is in my brown bin .I don’t know how long do I have to wait to get leaf mold .I did not chopped it .please share your opinion guys thanks
Hi, Thanks for the prompt response. Just taken on an allotment for the first time, I'm a little nervouse, but with people like you to impart their knowledge, I'm sure I wil be fine. Thanks for the info. Regrads, Bill.
Please explain. What is wood chip soil? Where can I get it? Will I still need farmyard manure? Thanks for the advice! PS - I didn't put newspaper on the ground before filling the old dustbin. Should I have done that?
Can this be done WITHOUT using human urine. I don't fancy myself collecting my own urine and I don't have anyone else to pee in a container for me. Is there natural, safe alternative? Can you use chicken manure instead of horse manure? Or even goat manure? I have plenty of this type of manure.
Originally before they understood what was happening they thought the mycelium network that spread through the leaves was actually mould but obviously, over the years they learned that is mycelium
SHred it many times Mike then keep it moist, it will also depend if you used oak and beech this will take much longer as the leaves are much more prone to longer composting
Replacing the bulk material is always a good idea. Acceleration protocols are needed to get the results desired. The title was confusing. "I prefer using leaves to mineralize my crops instead of rock dust". This episode did not mention any thing of that. Little to no minerals in leaves. rock dust is all minerals.
@@lindabeebe3599 I am simply saying when you go to the woods and interfere with the natural cycle of life, you’re killing one to make others “beautiful” it’s ok if you don’t get it
@@simplifygardening it's. Something that pulls behind your garden tractor. While you cut it sucks up everything. (It's not really a rake I think its the name of the company)
Took this off there website. The Cyclone Rake leaf vac is remarkably easy to set up, simple to use, and folds up flat when you're done. It can even hang right on the wall. No other lawn vacuum is as powerful, convenient, and easy to use. With five models to choose from, there’s a Cyclone leaf vac that's perfect for your property and mower at a great price.
oh you may suffer a little Sorry for the late reply. A load of comments said they were responded to even though they were not. I am slowly working through them all.
