Used my oak leaf/fert compost today - did I do ok?

[wsommariva]

Hi everyone,

Last Fall I made a oak leaf mixed with some lawn fert pile. It reduced by more than a half. I just spread two wheelbarrow loads in my plant bed as a mulch. This bed is not too crowded so the mulch area is big and noticeable. Don't know what to expect.

[rainbowgardener]

lawn fert? Would that be grass clippings or did you really mean fertilizer? What kind?

Oak leaves have a reputation for not breaking down very fast. Is your compost finished, I.e. it just looks like dirt or does it still look like leaves?

Oak leaves, especially as the main ingredient of a pile, can be acidifying. Depending on what you are using them on, that can be a good thing or bad. If you are using them to mulch acid lovers like azaleas, blueberries, it is excellent. For some other things, maybe not so much... depending on the pH of your soil to start with, whether you are adding more acid to already acid soil or neutralizing alkaline soil.

[wsommariva]

I didn't think of the acidity. I used Scotts lawn fert...very small amount. I would say that the compost is almost done. Can't tell it was leaves but it doesn't look like dirt.

I can't tell you what plants I have in the bed. But they all do great and I use Planttone only. So I will add no more oak leave compost.

So maybe I should take the remaining oak leaf compost and mix it in with my regular compost which is kitchen scraps, grass, dead plants and oak leaves?

[rainbowgardener]

I
So maybe I should take the remaining oak leaf compost and mix it in with my regular compost which is kitchen scraps, grass, dead plants and oak leaves?

Yes, the oak leaf mould would make a good mixture in with your regular compost.

[wsommariva]

Thank you. Will my normal compost be ph neutral?

EDIT: My wife says we have an azalea and we planted 5 rhodadendrums last spring. I'll use my leaf mould on them. Just spread around the base.