Leaf mould is a decomposed organic natural soil improver for the garden which made from the autumn broken leaves. Bacteria & fungi decompose those leaves and turn them into a very useful ingredient for potting soil or compost. You can make leaf mould for your garden by free fallen autumn leaves. Today I will share how to make leaf mould in very fast and easy steps.
Step 1: Find the right leaves
In autumn lots of leaves will fall from the tree. Almost all leaves will turn into leaf mould over time. But there are some leaves out there that will break most quicker with little effort. According to the research, Oak and Beech leaves are broken down more easily.
Holly, conifers, pine needles and other evergreen leaves shouldn’t be used for leaf mould as they can slow down the process. Below you will find some examples of them.
Quick breaking leaves: Ash, Beech, Birch, Cherry, Elm, Hornbeam, Lime, Oak, Poplar, Willow
Slow braking leaves: Hawthorn, Maple, Magnolia, Sycamore, Horse chestnut
Evergreen leaves: Aucuba, bay, Holly, Laurel, Photinia, Rhododendron, Skimmia
Step 2: Collecting leaves
Collecting leaves isn’t an easy process. You can collect the leaves from your garden and other public places. Try to avoid the roadside as the leaves might be nasty and polluted. Also, they may contain toxins and oils from cars which can take longer o to dissipate. Also, those roadside leaves aren’t good for your vegetable beds.
You can use leaf blowers to make the job easier. You can purchase a blower from this link
Collect the leaves and store them in a bag for the next process.
Step 3: Build a leaf bean
In order to store the leaves, you need to create a leaf bean. You can create a square bin or cage by using fenc or net. Build a bean in an open space of your garden.
To make the bean you can use four wooden frames or bamboo for supporting the four corners of the frame. Keep the bean at least 1 meter wide and 1 meter high.
Leave molding is a very long process, to speed up the process turn the leaf regularly so that the rainwater can go through easily and help to break down the leaves. Also, you can lightly water them if they are drying. This will make the process faster. You definitely need to check the mold otherwise it may take 2-3 years to get the leaves mold.
Step 4: How to find out if the mold is ready
As this is a lengthy process you need to wait a long period to get a proper leaves mold. When the mold is soft and crumbles this is ready to use in a soil mixer.
How To Use Your Leaf Mold
Previously we have learned how to make leaf mold, now you will learn how you should use your leaf mould. When you have identified that the mold is ready you can use them in your garden.