How About Leaf Compost??

[Lonesomedave]

here is something that I ran across while internet surfing....I was looking up the benefits of leaf compost, and I came across a site where one guy was really getting mad....his theory was this: fully composted leaves have almost zero nutrients....some others disagreed, but based on "I use them and I have had great results", whereas the one guy was basing his on studies

I have always loved leaf compost, but, with no scientific basis at all, have always believed they served other functions than providing nutrition

first, I believed they were a valuable source of trace minerals (or even minerals, that wile not rising to the level of NPK, are needed in much smaller amounts)....to this end, I not only mulch heavily with leaf compost, but water my garden every week with tea that I make from compost and manure.....not scientific, buuttt, I have had great results...

second, is it's value as a mulch. I have found that I prefer a thick layer of leaf compost to even black plastic as a mulch. it has some advantages....for one, it doesn't get hot in the summer sun. it also allows complete drainage, as opposed to plastic, which only allows drainage thru holes the you put there. it drys remarkably fast after watering or rain....my strawberries will NOT rot when they develop on top of leaf compost mulch....and, finally, it is very attractive (or at least not unattractive), and smartens up your garden

and, of course, when used as a mulch, the leaves continue to leach into soil every time it gets watered or rained on.....all the minerals that the tree gathered from deep in the ground end up in the leaves, and you can make use if them

ok....now my questions: are there cons to leaf compost, especially in the large amounts I am using?.....the only one I can think of is, when you use lots, you will get some weed seeds mixed up in there, although plucking them out is no real problem

second, are any of my unscientific beliefs wrong or misguided?

are there downsides to using lots of leaf compost?

anybody have any thoughts about the controversy I mentioned in the first paragraph...does leaf compost have any nutrients or not?

thoughts from anybody welcome!

/dave/

[AnnaIkona]

I use leaves for mulching and leaf compost on all my plants all the time, with great results.
But yes, I've heard people think that leaf compost is useless...

[rainbowgardener]

I think leaf compost (aka leaf mould, an old term from mouldering) is good stuff. It is NOT fertilizer. Probably adds next to zero NPK, especially on a short term basis. So if that is what you are measuring, then it fails. What it adds is other stuff: texture and tilth, drainage and moisture holding, making a soft loose soil that is great for plant roots, minerals and trace nutrients, good environment for soil microbial and fungal life.

I found this:

pound for pound, the leaves of most tress contain twice the mineral content of manure. Because they’re a form of organic roughage, they can dramatically improve drainage and aeration of the soil. And they provide the perfect nutrition for beneficial microbes. In short, they make soil come alive.

Leaves are rich in the trace elements your soil needs. Trees are an effective mineral extractor, putting down deep and intricate root systems that funnel calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus from the soil into their trunks and out to its leaves. 50 to 80 percent of all the nutrients trees extract from the ground end up in the leaves. Gathered at their peak and composted correctly, leaves will transfer this nutrition to your soil.

https://www.planetnatural.com/leaf-mold/

and this, for a scientific analysis:

A chemical analysis of 100 municipal leaf samples collected from across New Jersey shows that leaves are a valuable source of all crop nutrients (Table 1). Although nutrient con­centration values vary considerably, the applica­tion of 20 ton/acre of leaves would add on average 400 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphorus, and 152 pounds of potassium. As­suming values of $.30/pound N, $.23/pound P, and $.18/pound K, the nutrients from this ex­ample are worth $156.56.

Application of leaves at 20 ton/acre would also add on average 656 pounds of calcium, 96 pounds of magnesium, 44 pounds of sulfur, 1.5 pounds of boron, 58 pounds of iron, 22 pounds of manganese, 50 pounds of chloride, 4 pounds of sodium, 0.3 pounds of copper, and 3 pounds of zinc. The actual amounts of nutrients applied can vary considerably as shown by the concen­tration ranges in Table 1.

Although leaves add agronomically signifi­cant amounts of nutrients, only a portion of the nutrients are available immediately after application for use by the crop. The increase in the soils total nutrient content will, however, con­tribute to the long term fertility of the soil as the nutrients are released over time.

Much of the nutrients in leaves are part of the organic structure of the plant tissue and require microbial decomposition to release them. The carbon-nitrogen ratio of an organic material un­dergoing decomposition is an important indica­tor factor in the rate of release of its nitrogen in available form. The average carbon nitrogen ratio of leaf waste is 50 and it ranges from 27 to 72. For comparison, the carbon-nitrogen ratio of compost is generally about 25.The abundant carbon (carbohydrates which provide energy) content of leaves leads to exten­sive development of fungi and bacteria in the soil which uses up the supply of available nitro­gen for the production of microbial cell tissue. As decay proceeds, the carbon-nitrogen ratio decreases and some of the nitrogen becomes available to plants. Because of the high carbon content of raw leaves relative to their nitrogen content, there will likely be very little of the organic nitrogen in leaves available to crops for a period of time after application. Observations of crops (including legumes) planted on soil to which leaves have been applied indicate that plants suffer from a temporary N deficiency unless additional N fertilizer is added.

https://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support ... Leaves.htm see the article for the chart, etc.

[Lonesomedave]

hey rainbow--your reply was your 22222 post...well done

I think the first quote in your post says it all and agrees with me....trees are like a mine...sending down deep roots and bringing minerals and nutrients to the surface and depositing them on the ground when the leaves fall

as long as they are well composted, I see no down side

/dave/

[MockY]

Also, don't forget that it attracts earthworms like nothing else. Natural tilling with an enormous benefit of worm castings. So while it may not directly add much in the NTP spectrum (the worms does it indirectly), it certainly is unbeatable in other aspects.
I collected 25 bags of leaves this fall and oddly thought that would be enough for some mulching and a few batches of compost. I ran out of it almost instantly and I really wish I had some for mulching the garden. Using straw is not something I want to do as it's hard to properly mulch around young plants and it basically adds no nutrients to the soil over time.

Aiming for 100 bags next fall as there is clearly no way of getting too much, even for a small garden like mine.

[Lonesomedave]

.....Aiming for 100 bags next fall as there is clearly no way of getting too much, even for a small garden like mine.

that's the spirit!....

/dave/

[estorm]

Leaves make your soil soft and fluffy, meaning weeds come out easier. Even if they had no other value. that would be enough for me. I live in NE PA with hard clay soil mixed with rocks and stones.

[imafan26]

It is organic matter and it will eventually break down and it feeds the soil. It may not contain a lot of nutrients but the nutrients it does have will be released over a long period of time. As a mulch it will conserve water and block some of the weeds.

It won't be enough to support a heavy feeder like tomatoes without supplementation and it may actually compete with plants while it is decomposing for nitrogen, but in the long run it gives it back.

Leaf Mulching or Sheet Composting
In sheet composting, undecomposed material, such as
leaves, compost directly in the soil where crops will grow.
The whole or chopped leaves are placed in a layer or sheet
4 to 6 inches thick on the surface of the soil and then incorporated
into the soil by rototilling or discing. Sheet composting
can be done in fall or spring, but some crops respond
better to leaves applied in the spring. Crops are then planted
directly into the amended soil. The leaves will decompose by
July.
The advantage of this method is that no space is needed
to form a compost pile and time and labor are saved. The
benefits to the plants are, however, not as great as when
compost is used.
https://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documen ... s/b966.pdf

One of the disadvantages may be if you are using leaves from primarily a single source instead of a range of different trees. In the forest the trees are putting back what they take out, but in our gardens we take a lot more and different nutrients so we have to put that back too.

[toxcrusadr]

I agree its biggest benefit is in soil texture. If you have heavy soil (clay for example) it will help that. And the soil organic matter it eventually breaks down into (humic acids) is ideal for holding nutrients and minerals and making them available to plant roots. Which is true for any compost, but no less so for leaf compost.

As for nutrition, I have nothing to add to the earlier post about mineral content. I was going to look that up but someone beat me to it.