Leaf composting: From Leaves to Soil in 231 Days
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- This process is not as difficult as it's often made out to be. If you keep a couple key factors in mind (nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture), you can do this. I did a considerable amount of research before creating this video. Still, I am sure that I messed a few things up....and that's kinda the point; you don't have to be a chemist to compost leaves. Leaves are supposed to break down, you are just helping them along a little quicker.
December 30th - I got these leaves from someone who was going to put them out as "trash." In his neighborhood they don't do leaf collection. These leaves are mostly maple, and that has worked out well. Avoid oak leaves because they are high in acidity; unless of course you are composting soil for acid loving plants (holly, azaleas, gardenias, blueberries, strawberries, and more).
I like to use leaves that have been collected with a mower because 1) They are already chopped up a bit 2) they contain grass clippings which is a source of nitrogen (needed for pile to heat up and break down). As seen, I used a weed wacker to break the leaves up into tiny parts. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will decompose. Also, small leaves makes it easier to turn over the pile with a pitchfork.
After doing this, you will want to add additional grass clippings as a source of nitrogen (I usually do about a 1:4 ratio of grass clippings to leaves). If you are a coffee drinker, coffee grounds are high in nitrogen as well.
VERY IMPORTANT: When you have done all this, wet down the pile. You don't want it to be soupy wet, just about the wetness of a damp sponge. Turn the pile over as you go so that all parts are damp.
In about 2 weeks, I fluffed the pile / turned it over with a pitchfork to get oxygen in there. By that time, it was starting to heat up; if your pile is not warm, it's not breaking down as fast as it could. Add additional grass clippings / coffee grounds / chicken manure to the pile if it's cold (these are high in nitrogen and will get your compost piling steaming).
January 21st - On this day, I turned the pile over to increase oxygen and check in on how warm it was getting. Additionally, I lopped up the leaves into smaller parts.
April 17th - Even though the pile wasn't done breaking down, I decided to plant spinach and peas on the sides. The pile looks noticeably different but it still looks like leaves.
April 30th - I used fencing to create a compost bin, and moved some of the compost to that.
May 7th - This was a big day. I dug up the whole garden, burying the composting leaves in the soil. Once the leaves are spread out and buried, the soil won't be warm anymore. Fortunately, at that time of year the worms do their thing!
June 20th - The garden is planted and growing. Still, the soil looks very "leafy." Before I put the plants / seeds in the soil, I used a shovel to lop the heck out of the small area where the seed / plant would go in the ground. Once the plant is bigger, the roots will have no problem finding their way through some leaves. Also, by the time the plant is bigger many of the leaves will have broken down. NOTE: I had very limited success with green peppers in this soil because it is high in nitrogen. The pepper plants themselves got huge but yielded relatively few peppers. All the other plants seem to love this soil: tomatoes, spinach, squash, peas, beans, onions.
Check out how many worms I found in just a small area of the garden. They are very efficient in breaking down leaves!
August 14th / 18th - This is video was recorded in the small compost bin I created out of fencing. On April 30th, that bin looked like a pile of leaves. It's incredible how quickly it broke down. You will note, I planted some potatoes in there but had only limited success; they didn't fair well while I was on vacation. The straw in that shot was used to cover the potato plants.
For planning purposes, I would estimate that the composted pile will be about 1/10th of it's original size (original size after chopping, wetting, and settling).
Let me know if you have any questions, and please subscribe.
In case you missed this in the description, here’s a detailed breakdown of each step in this video:
This process is not as difficult as it's often made out to be. If you keep a couple key factors in mind (nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture), you can do this. I did a considerable amount of research before creating this video. Still, I am sure that I messed a few things up....and that's kinda the point; you don't have to be a chemist to compost leaves. Leaves are supposed to break down, you are just helping them along a little quicker.
December 30th - I got these leaves from someone who was going to put them out as "trash." In his neighborhood they don't do leaf collection. These leaves are mostly maple, and that has worked out well. Avoid oak leaves because they are high in acidity; unless of course you are composting soil for acid loving plants (holly, azaleas, gardenias, blueberries, strawberries, and more). I like to use leaves that have been collected with a mower because 1) They are already chopped up a bit 2) they contain grass clippings which is a source of nitrogen (needed for pile to heat up and break down). As seen, I used a weed wacker to break the leaves up into tiny parts. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will decompose. Also, small leaves makes it easier to turn over the pile with a pitchfork. After doing this, you will want to add additional grass clippings as a source of nitrogen (I usually do about a 1:4 ratio of grass clippings to leaves). If you are a coffee drinker, coffee grounds are high in nitrogen as well.
VERY IMPORTANT: When you have done all this, wet down the pile. You don't want it to be soupy wet, just about the wetness of a damp sponge. Turn the pile over as you go so that all parts are damp. In about 2 weeks, I fluffed the pile / turned it over with a pitchfork to get oxygen in there. By that time, it was starting to heat up; if your pile is not warm, it's not breaking down as fast as it could. Add additional grass clippings / coffee grounds / chicken manure to the pile if it's cold (these are high in nitrogen and will get your compost piling steaming).
January 21st - On this day, I turned the pile over to increase oxygen and check in on how warm it was getting. Additionally, I lopped up the leaves into smaller parts.
April 17th - Even though the pile wasn't done breaking down, I decided to plant spinach and peas on the sides. The pile looks noticeably different but it still looks like leaves. April 30th - I used fencing to create a compost bin, and moved some of the compost to that.
May 7th - This was a big day. I dug up the whole garden, burying the composting leaves in the soil. Once the leaves are spread out and buried, the soil won't be warm anymore. Fortunately, at that time of year the worms do their thing!
June 20th - The garden is planted and growing. Still, the soil looks very "leafy." Before I put the plants / seeds in the soil, I used a shovel to lop the heck out of the small area where the seed / plant would go in the ground. Once the plant is bigger, the roots will have no problem finding their way through some leaves. Also, by the time the plant is bigger many of the leaves will have broken down. NOTE: I had very limited success with green peppers in this soil because it is high in nitrogen. The pepper plants themselves got huge but yielded relatively few peppers. All the other plants seem to love this soil: tomatoes, spinach, squash, peas, beans, onions. Check out how many worms I found in just a small area of the garden. They are very efficient in breaking down leaves!
August 14th / 18th - This is video was recorded in the small compost bin I created out of fencing. On April 30th, that bin looked like a pile of leaves. It's incredible how quickly it broke down. You will note, I planted some potatoes in there but had only limited success; they didn't fair well while I was on vacation. The straw in that shot was used to cover the potato plants. For planning purposes, I would estimate that the composted pile will be about 1/10th of it's original size (original size after chopping, wetting, and settling). Let me know if you have any questions, and please subscribe
Really nice. Love this there's no talk just show and let the video do the telling love it love it love it!
Wow I loved this video so much , best part was when you un-dug all those earth worms , very nice rich soil .
I have probably watched a thousand videos with essentially the same information about composting, which I knew how to do do before I even watched the first. Why do I do this? Also I challenge the next person who makes a composting video to explain the proper level of moisture without using the phrase "wrung out sponge". I would be really impressed if I could see that pattern broken. Good luck and continued fertility to all the composters out there.
:-). The sponge analogy is s good one! Is there a particular question you had that I didn’t answer?
No. I think I just like watching people make compost and I would be highly entertained if someone thought of another moisture analogy.
I suck at composting (its hard thanks to the heavy tropical rains and diseases) but it is really easy if you use pond scum (algae) and goat/lamb manure try it and you'll feel good man
Well if you're not layering with nitro and limestone I can see why so long coming.
@@keptyeti Yup. When you can slightly detect moisture in between your fingers.
Great composting video.
Wow.It's very Good.I like.
Nice! That's black gold!
I thought slaves were black gold but ok
231 days, that's crazy!
Mix them with 1/3 greens and get beautiful rich compost in 90 days
I added grass clippings to the leaf pile after weed whacking the leaves, then I dampened everything. Hmmm. Do you think it took longer then your process because I was composting over winter?
Cat Funk can this compost be used for microgreen as well I’m very new to gardening
I used it to grow spinach. Cold Frame Spinach - Winter Gardening ruclips.net/video/m2Zg4sVQsKU/видео.html
I’ve used straight compost to start seeds and grow other plants, but it seems to shrink and dry out faster than normal soil. You might want to add some peat moss and sand to the mix
Love them worms helping out 👍
I just want to do it for a long time.
Looks the leaves just flew away
I have a question:
How did nature fix this,
before the powertools was invented?
the leaves and grass break down without cutting them up onto small pieces, it just takes longer.
All my neighbors rake the leaves into the street so the township can scoop them up and put them in a landfill. What a shame.
If that’s what’s happening, it’s a huge shame! Many townships compost them, but I’m sure not all. Thanks for watching!
lots of worms. even some extra for fishing
Awesome video !!
G00D Morning from Auckland, New Zealand it’s Sunday, April 12, 2020.
Good morning! Happy Easter!
Thats some good dirt
I use my riding mower to mow-mulch my leaves to smithereens. You can get free used coffee grounds to add nitrogen to help them decompose faster.
Be careful w coffee grounds because I believe they also make your compost more acidic. Good for some plants but bad for others.
E Fleming If so then some lime would fix that.
Thank u 4 inspiring👍👍
Great video! Thanks!
in my chicken coop I can pile them on as much as I can and it's still all gone in 30 days! did you know that part of a nation's wealth is decided by it's annual compost production?
“The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” FDR
Awesome!
i do a layer of leaves over hay. .. but i live in drought country. lol
Run!!
Yummy soil lol
😂
Very sexy soil composition.
Cool
What is the song called in this video?
I’ll have to go back and look, but it probably came from the RUclips audio library.
those worms are huge
What music is this from?
If I recall correctly, it’s music from the iMovie background music selection
Excellent and informative video. But it seem you have a lot of property. I am lazy, i just make a big pile of leaves and let nature do the rest. I am lazy unlike yourself
At that time we had a .5 acre lot. The pile of leaves technique works too!
@@E_Fleming a half acre is still alot.
@@E_Fleming Can you add something to the pile besides turning it to speed up the process of breakdown?
Adi Yogi Mulch it up very small to begin with (I use a riding mower to mow-mulch mine to smithereens) & add used coffee grounds for nitrogen to help it heat up.
poor worms...leave 'em! :)
Omg, a word of advice, if you don't destroy those worms all you vegetation will die, science 101
Sure, his spinach and peas do seem in desperate need of your advice.
This video didn't help at all.
Did you read the extremely detailed video description?
LOL that is the most inefficient way to do it with a weed wacker
🤔 How would you have gone about it?
Get rid of the music.
In case you missed this in the description, here’s a detailed breakdown of each step in this video:
This process is not as difficult as it's often made out to be. If you keep a couple key factors in mind (nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture), you can do this. I did a considerable amount of research before creating this video. Still, I am sure that I messed a few things up....and that's kinda the point; you don't have to be a chemist to compost leaves. Leaves are supposed to break down, you are just helping them along a little quicker.
December 30th - I got these leaves from someone who was going to put them out as "trash." In his neighborhood they don't do leaf collection. These leaves are mostly maple, and that has worked out well. Avoid oak leaves because they are high in acidity; unless of course you are composting soil for acid loving plants (holly, azaleas, gardenias, blueberries, strawberries, and more). I like to use leaves that have been collected with a mower because 1) They are already chopped up a bit 2) they contain grass clippings which is a source of nitrogen (needed for pile to heat up and break down). As seen, I used a weed wacker to break the leaves up into tiny parts. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they will decompose. Also, small leaves makes it easier to turn over the pile with a pitchfork. After doing this, you will want to add additional grass clippings as a source of nitrogen (I usually do about a 1:4 ratio of grass clippings to leaves). If you are a coffee drinker, coffee grounds are high in nitrogen as well.
VERY IMPORTANT: When you have done all this, wet down the pile. You don't want it to be soupy wet, just about the wetness of a damp sponge. Turn the pile over as you go so that all parts are damp. In about 2 weeks, I fluffed the pile / turned it over with a pitchfork to get oxygen in there. By that time, it was starting to heat up; if your pile is not warm, it's not breaking down as fast as it could. Add additional grass clippings / coffee grounds / chicken manure to the pile if it's cold (these are high in nitrogen and will get your compost piling steaming).
January 21st - On this day, I turned the pile over to increase oxygen and check in on how warm it was getting. Additionally, I lopped up the leaves into smaller parts.
April 17th - Even though the pile wasn't done breaking down, I decided to plant spinach and peas on the sides. The pile looks noticeably different but it still looks like leaves. April 30th - I used fencing to create a compost bin, and moved some of the compost to that.
May 7th - This was a big day. I dug up the whole garden, burying the composting leaves in the soil. Once the leaves are spread out and buried, the soil won't be warm anymore. Fortunately, at that time of year the worms do their thing!
June 20th - The garden is planted and growing. Still, the soil looks very "leafy." Before I put the plants / seeds in the soil, I used a shovel to lop the heck out of the small area where the seed / plant would go in the ground. Once the plant is bigger, the roots will have no problem finding their way through some leaves. Also, by the time the plant is bigger many of the leaves will have broken down. NOTE: I had very limited success with green peppers in this soil because it is high in nitrogen. The pepper plants themselves got huge but yielded relatively few peppers. All the other plants seem to love this soil: tomatoes, spinach, squash, peas, beans, onions. Check out how many worms I found in just a small area of the garden. They are very efficient in breaking down leaves!
August 14th / 18th - This is video was recorded in the small compost bin I created out of fencing. On April 30th, that bin looked like a pile of leaves. It's incredible how quickly it broke down. You will note, I planted some potatoes in there but had only limited success; they didn't fair well while I was on vacation. The straw in that shot was used to cover the potato plants. For planning purposes, I would estimate that the composted pile will be about 1/10th of it's original size (original size after chopping, wetting, and settling). Let me know if you have any questions, and please subscribe.
I too create all my soil from leaves, and have a problem growing peppers and potatoes (although I've only tried potatoes twice).
I get a few peppers from a 1 foot plant, but not very big ones.
Maybe it's from peppers getting planted later in spring (waiting for warmth), but maybe it's also the high nitrogen as you say.
Any remedies?
I put my leaves into raised beds with low drain polyethylene lining (no lining for peppers & potatoes though). The results are amazing. They are on my channel.