How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set longer.

cat daddy wrote:
"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set longer.




Take it that works better than fresh grass clippings, then.. I may try
that at some time.. Thanks!

We've got a HUGE pecan tree on the property, plus an oak, 2 elms, 3
chestnut.. Quite a bit to make use of..

Minus the black walnut which I can't use for anything. :|

Charlie wrote:
On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:14:45 -0500, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

Minus the black walnut which I can't use for anything. :|

Banana Nut Bread.

Black Walnut meats are the best for it.

Care
Charlie


Nut the nuts.. The leaves and shells.. I can't use THEM for anything
since they have a herbicide property.. Would end up with the mulch of
death for my lilies.. 8'o

Charlie wrote:
On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:29:29 -0500, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

Charlie wrote:
On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:14:45 -0500, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

Minus the black walnut which I can't use for anything. :|
Banana Nut Bread.

Black Walnut meats are the best for it.

Care
Charlie

Nut the nuts.. The leaves and shells.. I can't use THEM for anything
since they have a herbicide property.. Would end up with the mulch of
death for my lilies.. 8'o

I know.....the damn things are hell on garden areas as well. The
hulls are a staining nightmare on everything. Isn't it great when the
squirrels start in on them and drop hull pieces on your vehicle and
stain the hell out of the finish?

Most people don't care for the nuts either.

Charlie

Haven't had the pleasure of that yet since we just moved in.. However it
reminds me of when I was living in PA. Had black berries growing wild as
well as a huge mulberry tree.. Needless to say when they were ripe, they
poop purple...

Odd color to smear across your window with the wiper blades..

So how do you hull your nuts? I'd heard of people using old corn hullers
on them..

Charlie wrote in message
...
On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 21:53:02 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:


"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
. ..
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain,
mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence
enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set longer.


Thanks, I've been wondering about using alfalfa meal.

It gets the pile smokin'....... I usually cover it in black plastic to
retain moisture and heat. The steam shoots out small holes on cool mornings.
I generally take a couple of scoops from a plastic pitcher per bucket
and let it soak for a few minutes. I used to use rabbit food pellets, until
I realized how cheap a 50 lb. bag was.

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
cat daddy wrote:
"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain,
mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence
enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a
long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set
longer.




Take it that works better than fresh grass clippings, then.. I may try
that at some time.. Thanks!

Oh yeah. And, especially when there are no fresh clippings and tons of
leaves. I've also used alfalfa meal and alfalfa tea to fertilize pecans in
the Spring. Great source of nitrogen, trace minerals and growth stimulants.

We've got a HUGE pecan tree on the property, plus an oak, 2 elms, 3
chestnut.. Quite a bit to make use of..

Minus the black walnut which I can't use for anything. :|

On 10/9/2007 7:28 PM, Scott Hildenbrand wrote:
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

I just toss the leaves on a pile. It's in an out-of-the-way corner
where a block wall makes a turn. Every so often (not often enough), I
wet it down. Every so often (again not often enough), I use a spading
fork to turn it over. In the fall, I pull the pile apart, put fresh
leaves at the bottom, and rebuild the pile with the old leaves and
partially decomposed matter on top.

This is indeed mostly leaf mold. It's about 95% dead leaves and 5%
grass clippings. The clippings are from my red fescue lawn, which is
mowed only once or twice a year. The leaves are oak, liquidambar,
zelkova, and ash.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:28:24 -0500, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:

How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!


I'd just pile them up. A chicken wire ring will help contain them.
It is true that putting leaves through a shredder will speed up the
decomposition process, but this is not necessary. You can mix in
some green (grass clippings, etc) to add some nitrogen.

On Oct 9, 10:28 pm, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

There is no need to shred the leaves unless you need to hurry nature.
There is no need to add nitrogen unless you need to hurry nature.
A pile large enough to insulate itself will heat and begin to break
down all on it's own.

If you want to hurry or use the leaves as mulch and don't want them to
mat down, run them over with a mower a time or two. A wall or plank
for a backstop helps.

cat daddy wrote:
Charlie wrote in message
...
On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 21:53:02 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain,
mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!
I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence
enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set longer.

Thanks, I've been wondering about using alfalfa meal.

It gets the pile smokin'....... I usually cover it in black plastic to
retain moisture and heat. The steam shoots out small holes on cool mornings.
I generally take a couple of scoops from a plastic pitcher per bucket
and let it soak for a few minutes. I used to use rabbit food pellets, until
I realized how cheap a 50 lb. bag was.




Hmmmm... But that's composting, not making leaf mold, no? Leaf mold is a
cold process that uses fungi to break the leaves down, not bacteria.

beecrofter wrote:
On Oct 9, 10:28 pm, Scott Hildenbrand
wrote:
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain, mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!

There is no need to shred the leaves unless you need to hurry nature.
There is no need to add nitrogen unless you need to hurry nature.
A pile large enough to insulate itself will heat and begin to break
down all on it's own.

If you want to hurry or use the leaves as mulch and don't want them to
mat down, run them over with a mower a time or two. A wall or plank
for a backstop helps.


I think your post explained it the best in terms of shredding and
greens..

Thanks!

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in message
...
cat daddy wrote:
Charlie wrote in message
...
On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 21:53:02 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:

"Scott Hildenbrand" wrote in
message
...
How do you break up your leaves for your leaf mold pile. Just
wondering
since fall is coming and I want to get a good pile started.

I don't have a chipper or anything to break them up however, so I
thought I'd ask you all what you do to prep new leaves.

Or, just toss 'em on a pile and let 'em soak down with each rain,
mixing
now and then..

So, do tell!
I just toss them (mostly pecan leaves) in a welded wire fence
enclosure,
make a slurry of alfalfa meal (50 lb. sack from a feed store lasts a
long
time) in a 5 gallon bucket, and pour that in the middle. Cover with
more
leaves and hose it down. Keep adding leaves until the neighbours stop
putting out the sacks. I may fork it a little now and then to add more
slurry, but I don't bother turning it anymore and just let it set
longer.

Thanks, I've been wondering about using alfalfa meal.

It gets the pile smokin'....... I usually cover it in black plastic
to
retain moisture and heat. The steam shoots out small holes on cool
mornings.
I generally take a couple of scoops from a plastic pitcher per
bucket
and let it soak for a few minutes. I used to use rabbit food pellets,
until
I realized how cheap a 50 lb. bag was.


Hmmmm... But that's composting, not making leaf mold, no? Leaf mold is a
cold process that uses fungi to break the leaves down, not bacteria.

Whoo boy..... It was only last Spring that someone here said that I
wasn't composting, but making leaf mould....... I don't think the fungi,
bacteria, or worms particularly care about the words we humans use to
describe decaying organic matter, or the plants care about what specific
methods we use to create it.
My potted tomatoes enjoyed growing in it, and my bedding plants have
enjoyed having it layered on top, a la lasagna gardening.
And, don't tell symplastless, but the pecan tree grove I tend at a local
park has thrived and has a bountiful crop this year, whether I spread
composted tree mulch, or fresh wood chips.
Spread it on the ground, pile it up, add stuff or not....... Just don't
bag it up and throw it away. It's all good.

In article ,
"cat daddy" wrote:



Spread it on the ground, pile it up, add stuff or not....... Just
don't bag it up and throw it away. It's all good.

Sound advice! Would add the less energy we put in the better. May
not be real fast but time is not the issue preserving organic matter
is. I value anything that was once alive. Anything that passed thru a
living organism better. That may make it easier for plants to recycle
again to us.

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid

S
Hmmmm... But that's composting, not making leaf mold, no? Leaf mold is a
cold process that uses fungi to break the leaves down, not bacteria.

Whoo boy..... It was only last Spring that someone here said that I
wasn't composting, but making leaf mould....... I don't think the fungi,
bacteria, or worms particularly care about the words we humans use to
describe decaying organic matter, or the plants care about what specific
methods we use to create it.
My potted tomatoes enjoyed growing in it, and my bedding plants have
enjoyed having it layered on top, a la lasagna gardening.
And, don't tell symplastless, but the pecan tree grove I tend at a local
park has thrived and has a bountiful crop this year, whether I spread
composted tree mulch, or fresh wood chips.
Spread it on the ground, pile it up, add stuff or not....... Just don't
bag it up and throw it away. It's all good.



LOL... Fair enough in my book and works for me..