From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Key West, FL

Ok, so I found the jackpot of leaves today. I'm wondering, what's the nutrient content of leaves? any NPK?

I've got 30 - 39 gallon bags packed with leaves so far. :)

11/5/2004 7:36:40 PM

Colo.Spgs.CO. Pikes Peak Chapter @ spacemaster400@earthlink.net

Hey Ben, I prefer red maple, silver maple and oak with some pine needles and some manure mixed in to acidify things as we are on the alkaline side of town.....better get those organic things in quick, as the deep freeze is approaching..Don't know the nutrient and total anlyasis of the leaves though, if you find out, or anyone else tunes in, I would be glad to listen..

11/6/2004 5:49:21 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

My small town's street department brings me their weekly leaf pickup loads this time of year...got 700, (30+) gallon bags bags yesterday. Gotta get them tilled in before next Friday.....

11/6/2004 6:27:00 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Deciduous leaf compost is less than 1%N. But the other good stuff it does....

http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/pdfs/fs117.pdf

Maple, Ash, etc are good here. Our soils run toward acid so Pine Needles & Oak leaves need not apply. LOL

11/6/2004 7:36:58 AM

Ga.

here ya go Ben.....
http://www.spies.com/~gus/forests/phleaves.htm

11/6/2004 8:19:42 AM

Key West, FL

dang, I guess my leaf collecting is weak sauce. There aint many maple trees around here though, lotsa pines...

11/6/2004 9:03:41 PM

Key West, FL

oh ya, and so basically there isn't anything in leaves? maybe a little micro nutrients and a tiny tiny bit of nitro?

11/6/2004 9:04:40 PM

Cologne / Germany

What about leaves from fruit trees(cherry, apple etc.)?
I have more than enough maple trees on the street but the fruit trees are in my garden, there´s a big beech tree also, anyway I need to rake it all now.

11/6/2004 9:14:36 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I wouldn't be topo concerned with the lack of Nitrogen in leaves. The good stuff they do can't be rivaled by much else. Leaves encourage bacteria & worms. As they break down, the resulting humic acid makes the efficiency of all elements greater. Fruit trees are good. So is Beech.

11/6/2004 9:20:14 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Takes *alot* of leaves, to make a little mulch or compost. I thought 300 bags last year was plenty for 3500 sq ft...wrong!

11/7/2004 5:47:05 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Leaves by themselves break down very slowly. The carbon to nitrogen ratio is high and they need some added nitrogen to break down. A ratio of 35 parts carbon to one part nitrogen is ideal. This can be supplied by adding grass or some other green materials which are higher in nitrogen to the leaves. Alfalfa meal is used by some and this can easily be purchased at you local feed store or you may use cat litter which can be purchased almost anywhere there are cats. Others composters actually add some fertilizer to the compost pile with something like urea being the highest in actual nitrogen. If you add the leaves directly to the garden and till them in they will actually remove available nitrogen from the soil as they initially decompose. If you grind the leaves into smaller pieces they will break down more readily. I use lots of leaves in my patch as compost. Though cow manure is good and I use it too, it will over time result in high phosphate levels in your garden. Also K levels will increase as well as there is more phosphate and potassium in the manure than the plants you will be growing take up and so it accumulates. All of these choices are made based on your soil tests and what it appears your soil could best use.

11/7/2004 10:23:26 AM

Key West, FL

I don't think I'll be bagging 300 bags of leaves, maybe 20 more or so.

11/7/2004 12:37:49 PM

Walkerton Ont

mix manure with the mulched leaves, well help out alot

11/7/2004 1:38:31 PM

Ohio

Tremor,Oak leaves are ok to use? I have alot of oak leaves and maple leaves. Oak leaves isnt like walnut is it?(as far as Minerals go)

Brooks

11/7/2004 7:04:53 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Maple leaves can go straight into the patch. Oak leaves should be composted first with Lime to counteract their acidty. Due to high levels of tannin, Oak leaves resist decay. So time in the compost pile helps break them down.

11/7/2004 7:55:43 PM

Montoursville, PA

On the other hand....Oak leaves and pine needles if ground up make a dandy mulch. Mulch is just compost, in the making.

Time is not important, to things laying, on the ground. Then if worked into the ground ,in the fall prep along with manures there is little concern as it will all be well, in conversion towards humus, by spring. All converted, to humus will PH test, in the ballpark of 7.0. The process from A to B is exactly the same. It just takes longer to get there.

Then you can do it again. Just don't go nuts with those slow to break down materials. A two inch mulch will be pretty well converted just laying there for the growing season.

1/25/2005 10:12:52 PM