Composting Live Oak leaves

[Scott Harper]

Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to composting
live oak leaves?

I have tons of them in my yard right now, and it would be nice to use
them for something other than a campfire... :)

But I've piled these up before, and they just don't seem to break down.
Granted, I haven't tended much to them, in the way of turning, etc. But
I have a couple friends who generally have the same experience.

So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?

thanks
scott

[Elliot Richmond]

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:36:53 GMT, (Scott
Harper) wrote:

>
>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?

Yes, they make excellent compost and are a valuable addition to the
mix. What you should do is what you said you haven't been doing,
turn, stir, mix. Also, keep them moist. If you have some way to shred
the leaves (such as a mulching mower) they will compost faster.



Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

[Scott Harper]

In article >, Elliot Richmond > wrote:
>On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:36:53 GMT, (Scott
>Harper) wrote:
>
>>
>>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
>>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
>
>Yes, they make excellent compost and are a valuable addition to the
>mix. What you should do is what you said you haven't been doing,
>turn, stir, mix. Also, keep them moist. If you have some way to shred
>the leaves (such as a mulching mower) they will compost faster.

Okay, sounds good. One clarification regarding them being a "valuable
addition to the mix"... The oak leaves would *be* the mix, at least
somewhere over 90% of it. I leave the grass clippings where they
fall... I could start adding veggie kitchen scraps, but that still
wouldn't amount to much.


scott

[cat daddy]

"Scott Harper" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Elliot Richmond
> wrote:
> >On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:36:53 GMT, (Scott
> >Harper) wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
> >>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
> >
> >Yes, they make excellent compost and are a valuable addition to the
> >mix. What you should do is what you said you haven't been doing,
> >turn, stir, mix. Also, keep them moist. If you have some way to shred
> >the leaves (such as a mulching mower) they will compost faster.
>
> Okay, sounds good. One clarification regarding them being a "valuable
> addition to the mix"... The oak leaves would *be* the mix, at least
> somewhere over 90% of it. I leave the grass clippings where they
> fall... I could start adding veggie kitchen scraps, but that still
> wouldn't amount to much.

My experience was that it took two years to compost (no turning and they
are all but waterproof) and when I spread it out on the "lawn", it killed
it. I blame the tannin in the oak leaves...
So, mulch mowing or shredding is vital and perhaps covering in plastic to
retain moisture. My "starter fuel" is water-soaked rabbit food pellets
(alfalfa) for the nitrogen and I get a bag at Callahan's for $5.00. Good
luck....

[Scott Harper]

In article >, "cat daddy" > wrote:

> My experience was that it took two years to compost (no turning and they
>are all but waterproof) and when I spread it out on the "lawn", it killed
>it. I blame the tannin in the oak leaves...

When it gets fully composted, does the tannin go away? Or is this going
to be a continuing problem with compost that is nearly 100% oak leaves?


scott

[cat daddy]

"Scott Harper" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, "cat daddy"
> wrote:
>
> > My experience was that it took two years to compost (no turning and
they
> >are all but waterproof) and when I spread it out on the "lawn", it killed
> >it. I blame the tannin in the oak leaves...
>
> When it gets fully composted, does the tannin go away? Or is this going
> to be a continuing problem with compost that is nearly 100% oak leaves?

It didn't with my one experience, but don't take my word for it. I have
no oak trees, so I assume what grows in a yard with oak trees would be
accustomed to it.
My neighbour has oaks and a St. Augustine lawn under them. The grass is
naturally thinner near the base. I've read this is due to the sunlight
blocking of oaks, as well as the tannin that inhibits competitors for its
babies, but he rakes his up regularly.
I will take everyone's leaves for my compost pile (usually pecan), but
not my neighbour's oak leaves......... Maybe someone with actual successful
experience with oak leaf composting will chime in...

[Gary Brady]

>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
>

Time, time, time. They'll get there eventually. I typically just mow my
leaves back into the lawn.
Gary Brady
Austin, TX

[Texensis]

"Scott Harper" > wrote in message
...
| Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to
composting
| live oak leaves?
|
| I have tons of them in my yard right now, and it would be nice to
use
| them for something other than a campfire... :)
|
| But I've piled these up before, and they just don't seem to break
down.
| Granted, I haven't tended much to them, in the way of turning, etc.
But
| I have a couple friends who generally have the same experience.
|
| So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
| leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
|
| thanks
| scott

They go into a chickenwire bin along with the non-green grass that
comes along with raking them. When the St. Augustine is edged with one
of those diamond-blade long-handled tools from Sears or just with
edging shears, it goes into the pile also, alone with things like
seeds from winter squash, potato peels, old potatoes, carrot tops,
beet skins, asparagus bottums, rotten tomatoes, etc.. Invariably, it
seems, the compost bin is ornamented by sprouts from the ancient
potatoes, and sometimes tomato or squash volunteers, and we even
sometimes get new Irish potatoes. We always have four o'clocks growing
on top of the pile because their seeds get raked up with the leaves.
Some would say that the pile isn't hot enough if things grow in it,
but everything breaks down fine. A little water goes into the top of
the pile if it hasn't rained lately. It's never turned. The greatest
part of the bin is filled with oak leaves, and it seems to take about
six months at most to break down. Nothing about the leaves kills
anything. St. Augustine grows right up to the trunks of the live oaks
wherever they are.

[B.Server]

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:36:53 GMT, (Scott
Harper) wrote:

>Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to composting
>live oak leaves?
>
[...]

I have Spanish Oak, pecan, live oak, ash and elm leaves in my yard.
For the most part, I compost all of them, but since the live oak leave
sometimes fall after I have begun mowing again, they often just get
mulched into the grass. I have used a few cubic yards of my neighbors
live oak leaves a thick mulch on some beds. It works pretty well to
retain moisture and prevent weeds, but it tends to repel anything but
a prolonged watering.

[Brian Anderson]

Scott Harper wrote:

> Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to composting
> live oak leaves?

I tried the whole compost heap thing about 14 years ago, but
my "compost heap" was really just a huge pile of oak leaves
with some grass cuttings thrown in. It never broke down, but
did provide a home for about a gazillion varieties of
cockroach and lots of other creepy things. I found that out
by surprise one night I started bagging it up to get rid of
it. They say that every year around twilight on the
anniversary of that date you can still hear my screams echoing
through the neighborhood...

[Brian Anderson]

Scott Harper wrote:

> Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to composting
> live oak leaves?

I tried the whole compost heap thing about 14 years ago, but
my "compost heap" was really just a huge pile of oak leaves
with some grass cuttings thrown in. It never broke down, but
did provide a home for about a gazillion varieties of
cockroach and lots of other creepy things. I found that out
by surprise one night I started bagging it up to get rid of
it. They say that every year around twilight on the
anniversary of that date you can still hear my screams echoing
through the neighborhood...

[Katra]

In article >,
(Scott Harper) wrote:

> Does anyone have any recommendations or anectodes related to composting
> live oak leaves?
>
> I have tons of them in my yard right now, and it would be nice to use
> them for something other than a campfire... :)
>
> But I've piled these up before, and they just don't seem to break down.
> Granted, I haven't tended much to them, in the way of turning, etc. But
> I have a couple friends who generally have the same experience.
>
> So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
> leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
>
> thanks
> scott

Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
in the sun...

K.

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[Katra]

In article >,
(Scott Harper) wrote:

> In article >, Elliot Richmond
> > wrote:
> >On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:36:53 GMT, (Scott
> >Harper) wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
> >>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
> >
> >Yes, they make excellent compost and are a valuable addition to the
> >mix. What you should do is what you said you haven't been doing,
> >turn, stir, mix. Also, keep them moist. If you have some way to shred
> >the leaves (such as a mulching mower) they will compost faster.
>
> Okay, sounds good. One clarification regarding them being a "valuable
> addition to the mix"... The oak leaves would *be* the mix, at least
> somewhere over 90% of it. I leave the grass clippings where they
> fall... I could start adding veggie kitchen scraps, but that still
> wouldn't amount to much.
>
>
> scott
>
>

Too bad you don't have chickens. ;-)
I'll pile them in the henhouse sometimes, compost in no time at all!

K.

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[deepeddygirl]

For how long please?

Katra wrote:

>
> Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
> in the sun...
>
> K.
>

[Scott Harper]

In article >, (Gary Brady) wrote:
>>So what's the word from the wise gardeners out there? Can live oak
>>leaves be effectively composted? Any special tricks?
>>
>
>Time, time, time. They'll get there eventually. I typically just mow my
>leaves back into the lawn.

I prefer to just mow them back in, but under my larger stands the leaves
get so thick that they never "mow back in" for the whole summer. Seems
like once every two years or so I need to remove (some of) them.


scott

[Katra]

In article >,
deepeddygirl > wrote:

> For how long please?
>
> Katra wrote:
>
> >
> > Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
> > in the sun...
> >
> > K.
> >

Oh! Sorry. :-)

I usually pick up bags of all kinds of leaves along side the road that
folks are wasting, including oak leaves, in the fall to protect my
underground bulb gardens over the winter. I will just dump those as is
over the cannas and irises, then wet them down. By spring, they have all
pretty much dissapeared, even the oak.

I leaf the remaining ones in the black bags and wet them, then pile them
in a corner of the yard and just forget about them over the winter. By
spring, I have good leaf compost.

I'd say 3 to 4 months.

K.

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[deepeddygirl]

Excellent! I just *knew* there had to be a good use for the piles I have
on my property. :)

Katra wrote:

> In article >,
> deepeddygirl > wrote:
>
>
>>For how long please?
>>
>>Katra wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
>>>in the sun...
>>>
>>>K.
>>>
>
>
> Oh! Sorry. :-)
>
> I usually pick up bags of all kinds of leaves along side the road that
> folks are wasting, including oak leaves, in the fall to protect my
> underground bulb gardens over the winter. I will just dump those as is
> over the cannas and irises, then wet them down. By spring, they have all
> pretty much dissapeared, even the oak.
>
> I leaf the remaining ones in the black bags and wet them, then pile them
> in a corner of the yard and just forget about them over the winter. By
> spring, I have good leaf compost.
>
> I'd say 3 to 4 months.
>
> K.
>

[Elliot Richmond]

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:38:24 GMT, deepeddygirl
> wrote:

>For how long please?
>
>Katra wrote:
>
>>
>> Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
>> in the sun...
>>
>> K.
>>

I would be cautious about this. You might get some anaerobic
decomposition going. You would know because the stuff would smell
really bad when you opened the bag.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

[Elliot Richmond]

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:38:24 GMT, deepeddygirl
> wrote:

>For how long please?
>
>Katra wrote:
>
>>
>> Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
>> in the sun...
>>
>> K.
>>

I would be cautious about this. You might get some anaerobic
decomposition going. You would know because the stuff would smell
really bad when you opened the bag.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

[Elliot Richmond]

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:38:24 GMT, deepeddygirl
> wrote:

>For how long please?
>
>Katra wrote:
>
>>
>> Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
>> in the sun...
>>
>> K.
>>

I would be cautious about this. You might get some anaerobic
decomposition going. You would know because the stuff would smell
really bad when you opened the bag.

Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

[Katra]

In article >,
deepeddygirl > wrote:

> Excellent! I just *knew* there had to be a good use for the piles I have
> on my property. :)
>

Leaf mulch does wonders for my lovlies...... (flower bulbs).

Now if I can just figure out a way to winter over Caladiums! <sigh>

At least they are cheap.

K.

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[Katra]

In article >,
Elliot Richmond > wrote:

> On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:38:24 GMT, deepeddygirl
> > wrote:
>
> >For how long please?
> >
> >Katra wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Bag them in black bags, water then well, tie the bags up and leave them
> >> in the sun...
> >>
> >> K.
> >>
>
> I would be cautious about this. You might get some anaerobic
> decomposition going. You would know because the stuff would smell
> really bad when you opened the bag.
>
> Elliot Richmond
> Freelance Science Writer and Editor

Ok, but I've done this with dozens of bags, and NEVER had a problem with
stink! In fact, the smell is very pleasing due to the amount of
chlorophyll. We are not talking about kitchen garbage here. :-P

The only worry I ever had was when the bags cooked so well, they got hot!

I dumped some of them into the emu pen for bedding one day and they
literally started smoking. ;-) I wet them down again to prevent a
possible spontanious combustion event.

They were fresh bags that had never been wetted yet, as I had intended
to use them as bedding.

Bags of leaves are fabulous for counteracting muddy pens during the
rainy season, and the emus loved the leaves so much, they bedded down in
them every night until the leaves composted down to nothing.

K.

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[Kathleen]

: Leaf mulch does wonders for my lovlies...... (flower bulbs).
:
: Now if I can just figure out a way to winter over Caladiums! <sigh>
:
: At least they are cheap.
:
: K.

What? You have to dig them up in the fall???
With hope and heart,
Kathleen

[Kathleen]

: Leaf mulch does wonders for my lovlies...... (flower bulbs).
:
: Now if I can just figure out a way to winter over Caladiums! <sigh>
:
: At least they are cheap.
:
: K.

What? You have to dig them up in the fall???
With hope and heart,
Kathleen

[Katra]

In article >,
"Kathleen" > wrote:

> : Leaf mulch does wonders for my lovlies...... (flower bulbs).
> :
> : Now if I can just figure out a way to winter over Caladiums! <sigh>
> :
> : At least they are cheap.
> :
> : K.
>
> What? You have to dig them up in the fall???
> With hope and heart,
> Kathleen

No, I've been leaving them in the ground along with the rest of the
bulbs. The winters here are mild so I just mulch.

They just don't usually come back but if any do, they are smaller and
weaker. :-P

Might be the grubs too, but they leave the other bulbs alone.

K.

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[Katra]

In article >,
"Kathleen" > wrote:

> : Leaf mulch does wonders for my lovlies...... (flower bulbs).
> :
> : Now if I can just figure out a way to winter over Caladiums! <sigh>
> :
> : At least they are cheap.
> :
> : K.
>
> What? You have to dig them up in the fall???
> With hope and heart,
> Kathleen

No, I've been leaving them in the ground along with the rest of the
bulbs. The winters here are mild so I just mulch.

They just don't usually come back but if any do, they are smaller and
weaker. :-P

Might be the grubs too, but they leave the other bulbs alone.

K.

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