[IBC] Soil Products
 

How about Maple leaves ??
I have a TON of them in HUGE piles in the back of my yard.
Are they any good for flower beds ?

God I hope so, I'd finally have a use for them all !!

Mark Hill - Harrisburg PA, Zone 6


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ] On Behalf
Of Alan Walker
Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 6:53 PM
To:

Craig: I wouldn't use them in bonsai soil, but they are rich in acid
and aid roots in getting nutrients. They're especially good as a mulch
for azaleas.
Alan Walker, Lake Charles, LA, USA
http://LCBSBonsai.org http://bonsai-bci.com
===============================
Dave,
Please feel free to come to Ohio and rake up all the oak leaves you'd
like off my property. I never got them all up before snows this year and
come spring they'll be rotting away ( along with the lawn!) They are
like little strips of leather laying on the grass!
Dale Cochoy
========
Same here. I've got a big pile of them in the side yard. I hadn't
thought of using them as an organic component in soil, but I have no
lack of them.
Craig Cowing NY Zone 5b/6a

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[IBC] Soil Products
 

How about Maple leaves ??
I have a TON of them in HUGE piles in the back of my yard.
Are they any good for flower beds ?

God I hope so, I'd finally have a use for them all !!


ALL leaves are good for mulch. You should run them through a
shredder (or run a mulching lawn mower over them and collect the
shredded results) first, however, or they can pack down and
actually keep water from reaching the roots of the shrubbery you
pile them around. A 3-4 inch layer of mulch under trees or
around shrubbery will save water, require less fertilizer, and
prevent erosion.

Oak, maple, and other deciduous leaves are best for mulching
fruits such as blueberry. NEVER use pine needle mulch around
blueberries, but azalea will do fine with pine needles around the
roots.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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[IBC] Soil Products
 

NEVER use pine needle mulch around
blueberries

err.... why not?

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:

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NEVER use pine needle mulch around
blueberries

err.... why not?

Because pine needles contain a substance that inhibits fruiting
and causes weak, skinny plants. I knew the name of the substance
once, but that packet of information in my brain has been
replaced by something that probably is more important -- like
where I left my car keys yesterday.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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If you don't happen to have them lying around, Mosser Oak Leaf Mold is
sold on the net and some of your local nuseries may have it. I only see
it during the spring rush, but someone usually carries it year to year.

I have been considering going the leaf mold compost rout, but don't have
pure oak leaves lying around. I have every other variety under the sun,
including poplar, maples, sweet gum, etc. Any leaves I should avoid?
Zone 6. Acre and half of woods.

I've heard it said that oak leaves can retard growth? Is that true to
anyone's knowledge?

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Does anyone know the PH of some of these soil
products.


Pine bark Mulch

Red Lava Rock

Black Lava Rock

Spagnum Moss

Haydite

Terragreen

Akadama

Kanuma

Hemlock Bark

Oak Leaf Mold i think someone mentioned this one was
around 6

Ben

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I've heard it said that oak leaves can retard growth? Is that
true to
anyone's knowledge?

Depends on how many you eat.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "People,
when Columbus discovered this country, it was plum full of nuts
and berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
about all gone." -- Uncle Dave Macon, old-time musician

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Does anyone know the PH of some of these soil
products.


Pine bark Mulch - acid

Red Lava Rock - neutral to SLIGHTLY basic

Black Lava Rock - ditto

Spagnum Moss - very acid

Haydite - neutral to slightly basic

Terragreen - ditto

Akadama - ditto

Kanuma - ?

Hemlock Bark - acid

Oak Leaf Mold i think someone mentioned this one was
around 6

Ben

They will range between 5.5 and 7.5

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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At 16.17 31/01/2003 -0500, Jim Lewis wrote:
Does anyone know the PH of some of these soil
products.


Pine bark Mulch - acid

Red Lava Rock - neutral to SLIGHTLY basic

Black Lava Rock - ditto

Spagnum Moss - very acid

Haydite - neutral to slightly basic

Terragreen - ditto

Akadama - ditto

Kanuma - ? Acid

Hemlock Bark - acid

Oak Leaf Mold i think someone mentioned this one was
around 6

Ben

Jim & Ben ,

Kanuma is acid ,

marco

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