Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge mountain of
branches and leaves to dispose of. If we left this heap to just sit there,
how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?
Or would it take so long we just have to face up to cutting it up and taking
away to the local dump.

In article ,
lid says...
Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge mountain of
branches and leaves to dispose of. If we left this heap to just sit there,
how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?
Or would it take so long we just have to face up to cutting it up and taking
away to the local dump.



Normally burns with great vigour after a couple of days, trick is to get
the fire good and hot first using the non leafy stuff
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 09:32:22 +0100, john hamilton wrote:

If we left this heap to just sit there, how long before it would dry
enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?

Why bother with a dustbin (by which I presume you mean a metal
dustbin like garden incinerator)?

Build a fire on the ground and get a decent bit of heat going and
it'll burn now. Might be worth leaving it a week or so so the leaves
burn when put on rather that produce smoke. You'll need some dryish
wood to get the initial fire and heat going. Cut what have into 2' or
so bits, ready to put only 3 or 4 on at a time.

Pay attention to the weather, don't have the fire on a scroching hot
still day when people will want their windows open, and look for
neighbours with washing hung out to dry...

--
Cheers
Dave.

"john hamilton" wrote in
:

Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge
mountain of branches and leaves to dispose of. If we left this heap
to just sit there, how long before it would dry enough so we could
just burn it in a dustbin? Or would it take so long we just have to
face up to cutting it up and taking away to the local dump.



What we did last year with a load of Leylanii trees we cut down was to wait
for 5Nov and burn them on a big big bonfire.
Where I live it is illegal to bonfire, the exception is 5Nov. though I
think it is illegal even then but everyone cannot be prosecuted.
Another snag is the heat will be intense so keep it away from neighbours
property including wooden fences, windows, sheds etc.
Nothing is easy is it.

If you can be bothered you could compost the leaves to use in 2012

Sandra and Micky

On 3 Aug, 09:32, "john hamilton" wrote:
Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge mountain of
branches and leaves to dispose of. * If we left this heap to just sit there,
how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?
Or would it take so long we just have to face up to cutting it up and taking
away to the local dump.

I have a shredder. Best thing I ever bought. I have long native
hedges. Everything goes in the shredder and is used as mulch or
composted. If it's too big for the shredder, it goes in my wood store
for the wood stove.

On Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:25:50 GMT, Escargo wrote:

Another snag is the heat will be intense so keep it away from neighbours
property including wooden fences, windows, sheds etc.

Cars, plants...

A big bonfire with all the timber on in one go will shove out *a lot*
of heat but a smaller fire, such as I previously described, is much
more manageable. Still needs to be at least 3 or 4 yards away from
anything that might get damaged by heat though.

--
Cheers
Dave.

harry wrote in
:

On 3 Aug, 09:32, "john hamilton" wrote:
Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge
mountain o
f
branches and leaves to dispose of. * If we left this heap to just sit
t
here,
how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a
dustbin
?
Or would it take so long we just have to face up to cutting it up and
tak
ing
away to the local dump.

I have a shredder. Best thing I ever bought. I have long native
hedges. Everything goes in the shredder and is used as mulch or
composted. If it's too big for the shredder, it goes in my wood store
for the wood stove.


Would love a shredder but with a young family, mortgage, car etc. it is
something in the future.
Smaller garden stuff like broad bean stalks, cabbage leaves, and that kind
of stuff can be run over with the lawnmower to make it compost quicker, it
really works well but the mower needs to be up to the job ie: quite
powerful.
Give it a go and you will see what I mean.

Sandra and Micky

On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 09:32:22 +0100, "john hamilton"
wrote:

Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge mountain of
branches and leaves to dispose of. If we left this heap to just sit there,
how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?
Or would it take so long we just have to face up to cutting it up and taking
away to the local dump.


Put it on freecycle if you don't want it.
--
http://www.bra-and-pants.com
http://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

"john hamilton" wrote in message
...
Having chopped down a vast laurel tree we are left with a huge mountain of
branches and leaves to dispose of. If we left this heap to just sit
there, how long before it would dry enough so we could just burn it in a
dustbin?

That depends on whether it rains or not. Laurel actually burns quite well
green once you have a good hot fire going.

Mike

On 03/08/2010 10:32, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 09:32:22 +0100, john hamilton wrote:

If we left this heap to just sit there, how long before it would dry
enough so we could just burn it in a dustbin?

Why bother with a dustbin (by which I presume you mean a metal
dustbin like garden incinerator)?

Build a fire on the ground and get a decent bit of heat going and
it'll burn now. Might be worth leaving it a week or so so the leaves
burn when put on rather that produce smoke. You'll need some dryish
wood to get the initial fire and heat going. Cut what have into 2' or
so bits, ready to put only 3 or 4 on at a time.

Pay attention to the weather, don't have the fire on a scroching hot
still day when people will want their windows open, and look for
neighbours with washing hung out to dry...



..... and remember that the toxic sap will give off cyanide fumes. Make
sure you stand upwind of the smoke.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In article ,
Spider wrote:

.... and remember that the toxic sap will give off cyanide fumes. Make
sure you stand upwind of the smoke.

I doubt that there will be enough to be serious, because hydrogen
cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -18. See:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html

Not breathing smoke is generally a good idea, for many reasons.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 09/08/2010 14:58, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In ,
wrote:

.... and remember that the toxic sap will give off cyanide fumes. Make
sure you stand upwind of the smoke.

I doubt that there will be enough to be serious, because hydrogen
cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -18. See:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html

Not breathing smoke is generally a good idea, for many reasons.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



Interesting link. Thanks, Nick. All the same, it describes it as
pretty nasty. I would like to think most people would have the sense to
avoid smoke, but I have seen gardeners stubbornly standing in a cloud of
smoke whilst prodding their bonfire. Until the fire becomes hot enough
to reach that flash point (or repel a dozy gardener), surely toxic
vapours will escape? I wouldn't want to risk it.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In article ,
Spider wrote:

.... and remember that the toxic sap will give off cyanide fumes. Make
sure you stand upwind of the smoke.

I doubt that there will be enough to be serious, because hydrogen
cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -18. See:

Interesting link. Thanks, Nick. All the same, it describes it as
pretty nasty. I would like to think most people would have the sense to
avoid smoke, but I have seen gardeners stubbornly standing in a cloud of
smoke whilst prodding their bonfire. Until the fire becomes hot enough
to reach that flash point (or repel a dozy gardener), surely toxic
vapours will escape? I wouldn't want to risk it.

Er, that's -18 Celsius. If your bonfires are regularly below that,
I suspect that you come from somewhere a long way from here - perhaps
one of the transjovian planets :-)

The carbon monoxide in bonfire smoke can be lethal, but that's
independent of what's being burnt. The only plants that I know of
that produce seriously toxic smoke are some of the sumachs (i.e.
Toxicodendron, and POSSIBLY others) and some tropical ones.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Spider wrote:
I doubt that there will be enough to be serious, because hydrogen
cyanide is extremely flammable, with a flash point of -18. See:
Interesting link. Thanks, Nick. All the same, it describes it as
pretty nasty. I would like to think most people would have the sense to
avoid smoke, but I have seen gardeners stubbornly standing in a cloud of
smoke whilst prodding their bonfire. Until the fire becomes hot enough
to reach that flash point (or repel a dozy gardener), surely toxic
vapours will escape? I wouldn't want to risk it.

I'll be quite impressed if you can get your fire burning lower than -18!

In article ,
Spider wrote:

All right, Nick, I take your point! However, years ago when I watched
Towering Inferno for the third time, I remember the Fire Chief fiercely
discussing the presence of golf balls, which apparantly contain cyanide,
and his belief in their ability to seriously inflame the situation.
(Well, yes, pun intended!).

What about that then? More extraterrrestrial mumbo-jumbo? :~))

Yes and no - as usual, it's all a matter of proportion! If there
is enough of the cyanogenic material that the fire will not burn
it all, then it can happen. The odd golf ball isn't an issue,
but a shipping container full of them might be.

It's much like cow slop in waterways - a little of it does no
harm whatsoever, but too much causes eutrophication.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.