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Canada

For the past 3 weeks ( am finished now ) ive been takeing the lawn mower over piles of leaves that have fallen off my maple tree by my garden and have been digging them in along with compost i got.

besides adding the cover crop ( planted today as well)
is there anything else i can do to help the leaves and other clippings ive added to the garden to help them brake down better?

thanks

Dave

10/25/2003 11:24:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

There are commercial preparations of various soil inhabitting bacteria that will speed their decomposition. We sell one called ProMax.

You can also try applying Molasses to encourage the bacteria that you already have to work a bit faster.

But Maple leaves are noted for their rapid decay & you should be fine by spring even if you do nothing more than till them under. I collected a lot of Silver Maple leaves today & dumped them in the patch for that very reason.

Steve

10/25/2003 11:49:35 PM

Canada

I read something in the news paper today about "IF YOU HAVE BLOCK SPOTS ON THE LEAVES" dont mulch them into the garden or you will have problems with dieses comeing next growing season.. ( under compost section in local newspaper today)

IS this true? because if so i'm screwed any cures for this kinda stuff just curious

10/26/2003 12:27:40 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I get Tar Spot (raised black spots about the size of a dime or smaller) on the Norway Maples in the front half of our lot any year that is wetter than normal. Since pumpkins can't get Tar Spot, I wouldn't give it a second thought. In they go. This is the case with most of our deciduous trees. Don't sweat it.

10/26/2003 10:13:37 AM

Canada

Great thanks for that information I was kinda worried about that specially after all the hard work ive been putting into my garden prepareing the soil for 2004 growing season!!

Dave

10/26/2003 12:54:24 PM

Canada

Another question

Anyone here put coffe grinds into the garden? i have a good bucket full here that ive been saving over the past 2 months should this be dug right into the garden or would you just toss it into the compost with the rest of the leaves for next falls addings?

Dave

10/26/2003 12:56:07 PM

Montoursville, PA

Either way my friend and get more. Coffee grounds are a favorite food of our friends the earthworms. You can't make a mistake with coffee grounds unless you way over do it. I accept up to half inch of them overall if they became available.

10/26/2003 3:10:37 PM

Montoursville, PA

PRO-MAX mentioned by and sold by Stephen is one of the best out there. It might be equaled but it can not be bettered.

10/27/2003 3:44:57 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

I've read that adding urea to the leaves will break 'em down quicker

10/27/2003 5:27:27 PM

Tacoma, WA

Doc....I add two tons of coffee grounds each year to my patch. The earthworms are in "Nervonna"! :>)

10/27/2003 7:37:51 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

Stan, are you awake 24 hrs. a day? That's a lot of coffee!

I have also heard Urea helps replace the Nitrogen lost during the breakdown of the leaves. Do not quote me but I think I remember someone saying 1/2 lb Urea to a bushel of leaves. Anyone know for sure?

10/27/2003 8:20:34 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Two TONS of coffee grounds!?!?! Dang! How far aciditic does the soil go with that much? Coffee grounds (though a great amendment) can't often be used here what with our naturally acid soil. Do you have to add lime or anything to counteract the effect?

Steve

10/27/2003 8:42:13 PM

Montoursville, PA

I don't like urea at 45% N. Blood Meal or Feather Meal at 12%N plus molasses will do you a better healthier job. Pro Max is designed to support the same action you seek as is Symbex 4X by the AGRP-K line of liquids to support healthy growth. Pro Max and Symbex 4X are super boosters to support the biological side of your soil. Urea will, in my opinion, be entirely to hot and end up cooking the living soil causing a negative total reaction. I know the earthworms will take a hit with N that high.

10/27/2003 10:44:29 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Hmmm....food for thought there Dwaine about the worms.
How about 34-0-0 bagged fert? That's about the same as urea, correct? (I know what you're gonna say!)
Won't the blood meal take too long? I'm afraid I'll end up with sloppy leaf mess in May if the huge amount of leaves I've added don't break down quickly enough.
I want peace of mind the leaves and horse manure will be composted down quite a bit in 6 months.....

10/28/2003 6:20:10 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

I use a product called Hi Yeild Compost maker. I mix it up in a 3 gallon sprayer and saturate the the entire area. Try to spray right before it rains or water it in with the garden hose.

The key to any sucessful composting is "turning it" often. Good Luck Deano

10/28/2003 8:32:40 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

Something I left out of last post. I use a gallon per 100sqft. My patch is currently 740 sqft. It might not be worth it for real large gardens.

10/28/2003 8:57:25 AM

Montoursville, PA

The only two times in half a century of gardening that my leaves and manures were not completely ready by spring was a very early freeze up or snow cover year...where in I was caught with my pants down. Those two years I had not gotten in the final tilling and cover crop planted.

Only reason for a high N number is to be sure a little gets used before the rest is leached out. You probably would not get 12% value out of a 34% N synthetic. Your leaves only need a few percentage points of N to decompose and then they give it back to the soil. Very little if any of your blood or feather meal will leach away because it will not become part of the water table in the organic state. It permits the leaves and manure to convert first to compost and then to humus without chemical interruption and salts that kill your biological worth. You get back both the value of the manures and leaves and keep the blood in process. It's a win win situation.

In a general estimated way you get back about half of this year's organic input still working and ready to go a whole year later. Then you add on again approximately the same as the year before. At the second years ending or third years beginning you are in a much improved growing medium and it just keeps on getting better. Watch for happy scouts who are doing this to be jumping with glee about the third or forth year. Then they might even cut back to maintenance additives.

10/28/2003 10:32:37 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

just a quick chime in! leaves and sawdust need nitrogen to decompose...when you look up the amount of nitrogen needed to compost even with urea at 46% nitrogen you must double the amount if they say a pound of nitrogen you need 2 lbs of urea..coffee grounds are a recommended feed for worm farmers...a handful of lime to 50 lbs is sufficient...believe me if left on the top of the soil and not tilled in just kicking the surface will give ya ten night crawlers... pick up 30-50 lbs three times a week from my morning coffee stop..have them bag em and pick em up...the worms love it! every party is added, old beer (clunkers)left over soda etc are all added...jerry baker stuff..

10/28/2003 9:01:27 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Of all the organic sources of nitrogen, Blood Meal is by far the most soluble. You can expect a predictable warm weather (soil temps above 70*) release to occur in 8 weeks. There is no other faster organic source.

Steve

10/28/2003 9:40:58 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

OK Doc and Steve, blood meal it is then!

Next question for the soil doctors...

Molasses cattle feed helpful? Or not?

10/28/2003 11:49:53 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I believe in molasses. Nothing like that sweet smell it has to be good. Jerry Baker is Americas Master Gardener. I used to follow him years ago on TV in Detroit. One of his ideas was to feed your lawn beer. It helped to break down the thatch layer quicker. I haven't tried it for compost but I bet it would work. I have used it for many years on my lawn and it works great.

10/29/2003 5:00:00 AM

Montoursville, PA

Beer to the garden is nothing much more than sugar. Same with sodas. They are a Jerry Baker hot dog ego stage trick to get you to thing it's something new and create stage attention.

Black Strap Molasses (cattle grade) purchased where they make cattle feed is hands down the best way to go. Second best is called dry molasses...which is not dry molasses but rather molasses on a grain processing residual. Both are fine but the straight hands down best is Black Strap Molasses. It costs about $3.00 a gallon in my area. When some of you city boys find it buy about five gallons to hold you for two years or so on a 1000 sq. ft. Farm country, cattle country is where you will find it the least expensive.

10/29/2003 9:01:05 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

OK, molasses it is!
back to work on spreading leaves and horse manure.....

10/29/2003 6:04:56 PM