In article , Franz Heymann
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , fruitbat
writes

[snip]

I'd use them as general potting compost - leaf mould seems far too
high
quality to use as a mulch. I use my compost heap for mulching - not
so
much to keep the weeds down, but to improve the soil.

Kay,
Do you use it on its own, or do you mix it with something?

On its own

Do you enrich it with fertiliser?

No, but if something is in a smallish pot for a long time 6 months)
then I may use slow release pellets. Other people, who prefer to use
fertilisers to a greater extent than I do, would want to add something.

What do you pot up into it?

Perennials that I've grown from seed and am going to plant out the
following season.

For how long do you let it mature before using it in this way?

Till it's black and crumbly. I suppose that's about 2 years.

If neat leafmould is a replacement for peat,

I can see it has environmental advantages over peat, and peat has no
added fertilisers either. Since I don't use peat, I hadn't regarded it
as a substitute.

why on earth is it not
on the market? There must be an awful lot wasted each year.

Difficulty in collecting in large quantities compared with shredded wood
or coir, and long break-down time, presumably.


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"