Leaf humus. Fallen leaf compost Leaf composting

Gardener I. Krivega tells how to make compost with your own hands from fallen leaves.

Everyone knows that the main organs of plants are roots, stems and leaves. And if the authors of agricultural publications pay attention to the first two, then the leaves were not lucky in this regard. They are only said to contain chlorophyll and, through photosynthesis, provide carbohydrates and other nutrients to the entire plant. Well, as for the already fallen tree leaf, in most publications it is believed that it is completely useless and unnecessary, since it does not contain nutrients and it is not a fertilizer.

This means that an amateur gardener concludes for himself that the fallen leaf must be taken to a landfill, which is done in the city. And what will happen to the roots of trees without this protective layer? Are autumn leaves so useless?

Flower growers were the first to talk about the use of leaf humus. And it's understandable why. The moisture capacity of the soil increases and its structure and mechanical composition improve. But is it only necessary for flower growers? If you bring leaf litter from the forest, and even take it from your site and simply put it in a pile, it will be stored for a long time without rotting.

Another thing is forest leaf litter. This is where the desire to cook actually began. leaf humus and compost.

In a deciduous or mixed forest, without depriving the trees, I rake up a layer of half-decayed leaves, capturing a little of the topsoil as well. Usually this layer already consists of leaf humus. This composition has an acid reaction of the soil solution. I put all the prepared mass into spherical hemispherical heaps and compact it a little.

The readiness of leaf humus is determined by appearance and smell (a purely forest, not a putrid smell appears). Such humus can be applied to the soil as a loosening and fertilizing material. Forest bed prepared as humus, compost is especially good for clay soil.

How do I prepare this compost component? I water the heap with slurry, a solution of fermented herbs, and feces can also be added, as recommended. But I do not bring the latter for sanitary and hygienic reasons. For such short term, which I take away for the preparation of compost - 8 months, helminths, if they are there, will not have time to decontaminate and fall into the soil. Also, it seems to me, it is necessary to pay attention to the preparation of prefabricated compost, where the conditions are different, and the preparation time too.

We are talking about the fallen leaf, but it is brought into the compost and with fruit trees and shrubs, only if the leaves are healthy and not damaged by pests and diseases. Affected leaves are to be burned or removed from the garden plot away, where they will be disinfected in a natural way.

This applies not only to leaves from trees, but also to vegetable and other herbal leaves, which are also included in the compost, but in healthy, without rot, pests, diseases. In prefabricated compost, the leaves contribute to better aeration, moisture capacity and act as a ripper. But to accelerate the maturation of compost, the leaves must be applied in crushed form.

Otherwise, the leaves of a tree such as aspen stick together with plates and are stored in this form for years. It is best to make a birch, linden leaf, which does not need to be crushed. Dry leaf is used not only in compost, but also as a component in the construction warm beds, where, mixed with straw, hay, grass residues, it contributes to the production of heat for the roots of plants, and is also protective layer from the dank cold layer of soil. To do this, I collect dry leaves in dry weather and store until spring in closed containers. In particular, they are stored in my barrels under a canopy and in cans.

A dry leaf is also used by me as a mulching material for trunk circles fruit trees and shrubs, and garden beds. Including as a protective layer, and hence the roots of plants from frost and soil drying. The soil under the leaf is always moderately moist.

Now the autumn period of plant life has come. This year, the leaves of birch, linden, mountain ash and other plants turn yellow and fall first. Then mass leaf fall will begin. Dry leaves are used along with dry peat, chopped straw as bedding material with a layer of up to 30 cm, which absorbs liquid well when preparing a site for the preparation of any compost.

Dry leaves have passed my test for suitability as an insulating, and at the same time, an aerosol material for winter garlic, planted in late September - the first decade of October. On a ridge with planted garlic, I pour a layer of 5-10 cm of dry birch leaves and cover with spruce branches or stems of raspberries, Jerusalem artichoke - so that they are not blown away by the wind, in winter I still add 20-30 cm of snow. There has never been a case that winter garlic, planted to a depth of 8-10 cm, I have frozen. In the spring, with the removal of shelter, it actively grows and produces good large bulbs.

Over the years of gardening, I have developed the following technology. Given the possibility of freezing compost, I cook the latter in shallow pits.

The depth of the pit is 30 cm, the width is 2.5 m. Experience has shown that the process of decay and fermentation in the pit does not stop even in winter. Now I'm already taking care of composting for the right time. My deadline is in the foreground. And microorganisms, bacteria, earthen fleas, fungi, worms and other living creatures in the soil will figure out for themselves what to do with this organic matter, plant food. This is noticeable on trial, test beds. Plants vegetate more actively than on normal ones.

So, having provided a five-centimeter bedding layer in the pit, I lay dry leaves of deciduous trees moistened with a solution of saltpeter or urea (urea) in layers (except oak, which rot poorly and contain tannins). For every 10-centimeter layer of leaves, I always add a layer of garden or sod land. For what? In order to, in addition to the structural composition of the soil, the macro- and microelements contained in it, also introduce soil microflora into the leaf layer.

Next comes the next layer of bulk leaves. Here we are already moistening it with slurry, or a solution of fermented grass. You can add a solution of fertile garden soil from your site. Next, the next layer of leaves, which we will moisten with a solution of caustic soda.

Caustic soda is not a fertilizer per se, but the caustic helps to extract chlorophyll from the leaves. Then the next layer - a solution is applied wood ash, then again a layer of leaves moistened with water. We cover everything with a five-centimeter layer of mowed grass. The next layer is covered with chopped straw - for oxygen, hay - for microorganisms, moistened with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

The compost pit is covered with sods 20 × 10 cm, laid tightly to each other on top of the heap, grass cover down. Then I install two vertical tubes to the middle of the pile - for air and moistening the pile, then I take them out and fill the holes.

I have two holes. One is where the components are assembled. Another - where the composition is shoveled. I do shoveling about a month after laying all the material in the first pile. This must be done to loosen the compost, and hence improve aeration, for better mixing of the composition of the heap.

So I had to give up classical forms composters and move on to cumulus forms. In addition to other advantages, I consider the main thing for me to be convenience and ease (after all, age is no longer the same strength) in the shoveling itself. After that, the compost is ready and can be applied to the soil.

Among the abundance of modern fertilizers, gardeners prefer the unchanging classics - natural organics, positive action which has been tested by more than one generation of predecessors. Fallen leaves take special place among such supplements. This natural organic matter does not require capital investments, and in terms of impact it is equal to bird droppings and mullein.

Leaves as fertilizer

Fallen leaves are rightfully considered a storehouse of fiber and a free source of a fairly rare trace element - silicon.

Rotting, deciduous raw materials turn into the most valuable organic fertilizer, for which he is appreciated by gardeners. earthworms They also love to settle in decimated foliage. Gardeners use fallen leaves specifically for breeding worms and other useful living creatures on their plots.

Leaf-based humus is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. According to the quantitative composition of these macroelements, it is equivalent to cow dung. In addition, leaf humus remarkably mulches the soil, and is also a natural acidifier - an essential component of the normal growth and development of acidophilic plants.

If there are a lot of trees on the site, then leaf litter can be successfully used for top dressing. horticultural crops. So, alder is considered the most valuable in terms of the content of nutrients, birch and maple are slightly inferior to it.

Can it be used?

Top dressing based on fallen leaves contains not only the main macronutrients (nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus), but also essential microelements: iron and magnesium, silicon, calcium and sulfur.

All these components are extremely important not only for horticultural crops but also for soil. Leaf litter perfectly loosens the soil, improves air and water permeability. In addition, they like to huddle in it. earthworms- useful and hardworking inhabitants of personal plots.

Positive properties:

• fertilizes the soil.
• serves as a natural covering material that protects plants from freezing in winter.
• fallen leaves, overheating, improve the structure of the soil.
• serves as food for earthworms.

Negative properties:

• Overripe foliage is a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and pests.
• it is difficult to see and eliminate all infected leaves. If this is not done, leaf humus will become a real breeding ground for diseases.

How to prepare fertilizer?

There are many ways to prepare high-quality organic matter from fallen leaves, but most often gardeners make humus, compost, mulch and ash from it.

Humus

To prepare high-quality leaf humus, raw materials are collected, put into a container (you can use old barrel) and rammed. You don't need to close it. In the absence of a suitable container, the foliage is folded into thick bags, not forgetting to make small holes in several places. AT garden shops special bags are sold for creating humus. Containers (or bags) with foliage are placed in the most humid corner of the site. The humus will be ready for use in about a year or two. After 2-3 years, it will turn into real humus.

Compost

Its production involves following certain rules. It is worth considering the rate of decay of foliage different types trees. For example, oak leaves decompose more slowly than birch and linden leaves.

To speed up the overheating of the foliage, it should be regularly mixed, increasing air access. Or prepare a nitrogen-containing solution for irrigation, accelerating the decay process.

If the foliage was not removed in winter, it is done in the spring. Organic garbage should not be burned or thrown away. It is sent to the compost heap. This raw material will decompose faster, since it has already been under the snow and mixed in the ground. In addition, microorganisms have already settled there, accelerating overheating.

Compost is prepared in a pile or pit. After its complete overheating, the most valuable organic fertilizer is applied under berries, flowers, fruit trees.

Ash

If there are doubts about the quality of sheet raw materials, then it is more reasonable to dry and burn it. Fire will destroy all diseases, as well as pests at various stages of development. When the leaves burn, hydrocarbon, oxygen and nitrogen evaporate, leaving: 25% calcium, 15% potassium, 4% phosphorus, a small amount of magnesium and iron, zinc and sulfur, manganese and boron, copper and strontium.

A significant calcium content turns ash into a valuable deoxidizer, which is necessary for many horticultural and horticultural crops. Potassium in the ash is in a form that is easy for plants to assimilate. This mineral fertilizer is applied before digging the garden (up to 300 g per sq. M.), And also poured into the holes during planting and when forming compost heaps.

Mulch

Fallen leaves are also used as natural mulch. To do this, in the autumn, the wet biomaterial is laid out on the ground. It prevents the growth of weeds, protects the soil from freezing, weathering, evaporation of nutrients.

In addition, mulch blocks Sun rays. This is especially true for aluminas, which are subject to inevitable crusting. In the spring, the foliage is raked and placed in a compost heap or buried in the ground when digging.

For the first few years, mulched beds will need a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Perfect for manure or slurry. But from the introduction mineral fertilizers it is better to refuse, since they will have a detrimental effect on the activity of earthworms.

Note. With the advent of natural humus, there is no need for any other fertilizers.

Fallen leaves serve as a high-quality insulation that will help roses, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and other berry plants to successfully winter. In the mulch, useful microorganisms, earthworms, which improve the structure of the soil, accelerate the process of decomposition of organic matter, winter well.

For winter shelter, large chestnut or maple foliage is best suited. Smaller biomaterial is strongly caking and blocks the access of oxygen, which is undesirable for plants.

Foliage Features

The most useful foliage is nut. It is added to compost or simply burned. Walnut ash not only feeds garden crops, but also fights against hyperacidity soil.

birch leaves, view small size, overheat very quickly. Based on them, it is possible to obtain fast and high-quality organic matter. But oak trees need at least a year to decompose.

It is noted that oak litter is famous for its high content of acids and tannins, the excess of which can harm garden crops. Due to this specific composition, oak foliage overheats for a long time.

Aspen leaves after decomposition restore the nitrogen content in the soil. In addition, the soil is enriched with magnesium, calcium and potassium. However, they also overheat for a very long time and tend to stick together, blocking the access of oxygen.

Oak and aspen leaves are added in small quantities to the general compost. Some gardeners take them separate place for long overdue.

Alder foliage is considered the most valuable in terms of nutrient content, maple and birch leaves are slightly inferior to it.

Coniferous needles overheat for at least 3 years. However, such organic matter is indispensable for planting acidophilic crops - connoisseurs of acidic soil. Among them are rhododendrons, camellias, hydrangeas, azaleas, representatives of the heather family.

Note. When using litter, the following is taken into account: oak, chestnut and birch leaves alkalize the soil, while aspen and linden, on the contrary, acidify.

Conclusion

Fallen leaves - excellent fertilizer for garden crops. They contain a large number of nutrients, perfectly mulch the soil, and, if necessary, restore the disturbed level of acidity.

Making compost from leaves is easy. Here the main thing the right approach. Many people think that after the leaves have fallen, they are no longer suitable for anything, and they just need to be taken to a landfill. But is this true? Is there any benefit from fallen leaves? We will find out in our article.

If you are a real gardener, then you always look at your garden from a professional point of view. Leaves can always be thrown away. But how to make foliage beneficial?

Why do you need compost?

Compost from tree leaves is needed in order to retain moisture in the soil, improve the quality of the land and its composition. Bringing the leaves from planting to your garden, and putting them in a pile, you will provide yourself with humus for a long time. After all, it can be stored for a very long time.

If you have a lot of trees in your garden, then you will always be provided with raw materials for compost. If there are few or no trees in the garden, then you need to go to the forest or planting.

Using garden compost is very beneficial:

• The leaves contain a lot of organic matter so needed by the soil.
• Compost contains and minerals that enrich the soil.
• The composition of compost is very close to manure; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium - all these elements nourish the earth and provide an excellent harvest.

In order to properly make compost from fallen leaves, you do not need special skills or skills. You just need to follow the recommendations:

1. First make a pile of leaves. This is necessary in order not to mix them with other vegetation residues in the garden. Foliage has its own specifics of decomposition. It takes two years for it to completely decompose and be used as compost.

The leaves of some trees need even more time, such as oak, chestnut. Other vegetation takes a year to decompose.

2. After the leaves are piled up, they must be compacted and moistened.

3. Add a small amount to the foliage already finished compost, as well as a little lime to balance the acid balance.

4. If you need compost for plants that prefer acidic soil, then you do not need to add lime.

6. Periodically look under the cover and, if necessary, moisten the pile.

7. Another option is to use plastic bags. Holes are made in them for ventilation, and after that the bags are densely filled with foliage.

Compost pit how to do it right

Some gardeners prepare compost using the compost pit method. How to make compost from leaves in this way?

1. Dig a hole thirty centimeters deep and about two and a half meters wide.

2. Make bedding at the bottom of the hole five centimeters thick.

3. Fold dry foliage in layers, watering it with saltpeter to moisten.

4. After laying ten centimeters of foliage, sprinkle it with turf to enrich it with microelements and microflora.

5. Pour the next layer of leaves and pour the liquid from the manure, you can add the earth from your garden.

6. The next leafy layer must be moistened using caustic soda. It is not a fertilizer, but it is good at extracting chlorophyll from the leaf.

7. Wood ash is poured onto the next layer of leaves, then leaves again, which are moistened with water.

8. Place a layer of straw or hay and water weak solution manganese (1 percent).

9. All this structure is covered with turf, which is laid down tightly with grass.

10. One month after laying the pit, open and loosen all layers for oxygen enrichment.

11. It is possible to use two holes: one for laying, and the second for loosening. You simply transfer the compost to the second hole, loosening the mixture in the process.

Benefits of dried leaves

It is worth noting that dry foliage is useful not only for compost. It is often used by gardeners for various purposes. For example, often gardeners use dry foliage in the preparation of beds.

If you mix the leaves with hay, then this mixture will provide heat to the root system of the plant and protect it from hypothermia. But this is done exclusively with dry leaves. Store them in crates or boxes indoors.

Also, dry foliage is used as a mulch for bushes and fruitful trees. Mulch is also used in beds. AT compost pit dry foliage is used as bedding at the bottom.

Still very useful property dry leaf is to serve as a heater for plants that are planted for the winter. For example, garlic.

Having landed it in the beginning of autumn, garlic covered with dry foliage at the beginning of winter. Snow covers the foliage, and the plant safely tolerates any frost, and in the spring it pleases with a wonderful harvest.

So before throwing leaves from your garden, think about how useful this pile of leaves can do.

Advantages and disadvantages of leaf compost

It is hardly worth talking again about the outstanding merits prepared on the basis and poultry - such organic fertilizers have no equal. But the luxury of their application without any financial investments can afford only rural residents who keep on the farm livestock and a bird.

For "urban" summer residents, the purchase of manure and litter today makes a significant hole in their pocket. Leaf compost is inferior to such fertilizers in terms of nutritional value, but cultivated plants respond well to it and will never refuse such yummy. So why spend money on buying manure if you have free material at hand?

Ripe leaf compost quickly saturates the soil with humic compounds and trace elements and effectively restores soil fertility. When embedded in the ground, it perfectly improves its structure: it adds moisture capacity to sandy soil, and air permeability to clay soil.

Not fully decomposed leaf mass (young compost) is an excellent product for mulching vegetables and flower crops. Flowers and vegetables do not suffer from, characteristic of and. Therefore, in this case, foliage can be used to prepare compost even from under diseased garden plantings.

The only downside leaf compost- acid reaction. When applied to the soil, it will reduce its pH level, therefore, it will require the use of deoxidizers (dolomite flour, lime, chalk, ash, etc.).

The cycle of leaf compost on the site

Depending on the preparation technology and tree species from which the foliage was taken, it will take 1.5-2 years for the leaf compost to fully mature. If you do not help the compost to ripen, then this process will take longer.

In order to have such a valuable fertilizer at your fingertips every season, I propose to build 3 compost bins on the site at once. In the first, you will lay another batch of fresh litter every fall. In the second compost bin, at this time, the maturation of last year's mixture of leaves and earth will take place. And the third tray at this point will provide you with fully matured compost.

You can use the contents of the third compost bin in the same autumn to fertilize the beds, or postpone the procedure until spring. Do not tighten using matured compost, because the third tray to next summer need to be released. It is needed in order to shift the ripening leaf mass from the first "barn" into it. By transferring the contents of the first bin to the empty one, you can move the contents of the second bin to the first.

This "shuffling" of the compost will significantly speed up its maturation. By shoveling the contents of the compost bins, you saturate it with oxygen, which is necessary for beneficial microorganisms and for normal life, and without their help, it will not be possible to prepare fertilizer. Transshipment should be carried out at least 2-3 times per season. The work is laborious, but extremely important.

The lazy option is to make only 1 compost bin. Fill it with leaves and earth, and next season periodically shovel the contents - lay them on the ground and return them back. Next fall, mulch with young compost perennials or beds with winter crops. The ripening of such a semi-finished fertilizer will continue in the new season already "in place". In the same autumn, you can fill the empty container new portion foliage.

We equip the compost bin

If you do not spare money for your favorite dacha, you can go the most the easy way and buy ready-made compost bins. Such devices will save you from unnecessary trouble, and will long years help to obtain valuable leaf compost.

Our market is very big choice various devices for this purpose in different price categories. Choose suitable option for your site, you can by looking at the selection.

Unbranded Composter plastic black 600 l 2 299 RUB LOOK
OBI

Plastic garden composter with lid 800 l Plastic garden composter with lid 800 l 7 499 RUB LOOK
OBI

garden composter 800 l Garden composter 800 l 4 999 RUB LOOK
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Plastic garden composter with lid 630 l Plastic garden composter with lid 630 l 5 999 RUB LOOK
OBI

Less prosperous summer residents adapt old barrels, tanks, cast iron bathtubs and even dense garbage bags with a volume of 200 liters or more. The main rule when using such improvised means is holes in their walls, which will provide air flow to the ripening humus mass. The contents of these containers will also need to be shoveled several times during the season: transferred from one to another or poured onto the ground covered with foil, and then returned back again.

The most time-consuming option is the construction of a stationary compost bin with 3 compartments made of boards, slate, tin and any other materials at hand. Be sure to leave gaps in the walls of such a device or make them from a strong mesh. If you are building a high compost bin, make one side of it collapsible so that you can easily access the contents later.

Leaf compost technology

After leaf fall, collect fallen leaves and lay them in a tray, sprinkling with layers of earth 5-10 cm thick. If the foliage and soil are dry, be sure to spill them with water. Owners can add cut grass to the contents - it will speed up the ripening of humus. It is also permissible to put soft tops of vegetables and without seeds there, as well as kitchen waste of plant origin.

It's great if you have fresh manure or bird droppings at your disposal. Be sure to add these nitrogenous foods to total mass or spill the contents with a solution based on them. Alternative option- a solution of purchased (urea, ammonium nitrate etc.), prepared at the rate of 20-30 g per 10 liters of water.

An excellent effect on the further decomposition of organics will have a solution of the EM preparation. Dilute the concentrate in water according to the instructions, and when laying the organic filling, spill it useful solution.

So that in the future you do not have to deacidify the soil in the beds that you fertilize with leaf compost, smooth out the acid reaction immediately. To do this, at the stage of laying organic matter, sprinkle its layers of wood, dolomite flour, slaked lime or chalk.

Over the next season, in addition to regularly shoveling the maturing compost, you will need to periodically moisten it with water. It will be useful to use a solution of mullein, urea, or with which you moisten the contents a couple of times per season. Be sure to take care of the lid on the compost bin if you made one yourself. It will be required to protect the organic mass from drying out in summer heat and from being washed away during heavy rains.

You can do it easier - cover the top of the compost mass thick film and make holes in it for air access. And do not forget to collect a handful of earthworms in the garden and run them in a heap. After a short time, they will breed in a nutritious featherbed in huge numbers and accelerate the maturation of the compost.

How to tell if leaf compost is ripe

Fully matured leaf compost is a loose homogeneous mass. In it, you should not find the skeletons of leaves or undecomposed remains of other waste that were laid along with the litter. There will be no earthworms in mature compost: they will leave the compost bin when it runs out of food. Distinctive feature mature leaf compost - a pleasant "forest" aroma.

What leaves are not suitable for composting

Unfortunately, not all leaves are suitable for composting. The foliage of some tree species contains a lot of tannins, which in the future will have Negative influence for the development of cultivated plants. You should not let fall from under the case,

Leaves that have fallen from trees or bushes can be used to increase the fertility of depleted soil. This is a simple but effective fertilizer available on every personal plot. With the help of such top dressing, the soil structure is noticeably improved, and the yield increases without financial costs.

Fallen leaves are used as fertilizer only after appropriate preparation, since in original form the material does not contain nutritional value and essential trace elements. Leaving untreated foliage on the ground is not recommended: it can start harmful insects, rodents, develop fungal and bacterial diseases.

To use the leaves with benefit, you can prepare humus, which is suitable for fertilizing the soil. The benefits of this feeding:

1. Support optimal amount moisture for an uninterrupted supply of liquid to the plant even during drought.
2. The appearance of a large number of earthworms, providing the soil with an exchange of water and air, friability and softness of the structure.
3. Acidification of the soil cover, which has a positive effect on the yield of plums, apples, pears, as well as the flowering and budding of many decorative indoor flowers.
4. The leaves are used as mulch for vegetable gardens. A particularly noticeable result is visible on vegetable and horticultural crops.

What leaves can be used on the site?

The best option for fertilizing the garden is litter deciduous trees, especially fruit. Coniferous plantations can also be used to prepare top dressing, but the needles must be carefully crushed: they rot longer. Oak leaves must be used with caution as they can acidify the soil. Positive result showed the use of litter of mountain ash, poplar, cherry, chestnut, hawthorn, birch, beech, maple, berry bushes. The leaves of these crops contain a large number of macro- and microelements, incl. nitrogen and calcium (the concentration of these components depends on the type of trees or shrubs).

The collection of leaves is carried out using a broom, rake different shapes, a lawn mower set to the highest height, a special vacuum cleaner. The last two options are good because the litter enters the container in crushed form, so it is immediately ready for application to the soil.

How to make leaf humus?

The leaves must be collected, chopped, put in a prepared container and tamped well. Storage containers can be:

• self-made wooden or iron boxes 1x1 in size, (lid not required);
• plastic bags;
• garbage bags.

Using the last two devices, it is necessary to make several holes in them for air to enter. Leaves must be kept moist. If there is not enough moisture, water should be poured over the raw material.

Readiness of humus for use

The ripening period of the fertilizer depends on the species of trees or bushes, the height and density of the leaf mound. On average, the process takes from six months to 3 years.

At the initial stage of decay, the mass is heterogeneous: it has inclusions of the base of the leaf, cuttings, and large parts. Such a substrate is used for mulching, preparation seed material and seedlings, as a component compost heap, for lawn grass. You can make the composition as a top dressing of the soil before digging in the spring, in flower pots, add to perennial crops. Unripe material is used as an integral part of a special potting soil.

After 2-3 years, rotted leaves acquire the structure and texture of the earth, have the smell of forest soil, acquire dark color. You can use the resulting composition as a fertilizer or as a mulch for flowers that prefer acidic soil.

What else can you do with leaf litter?

In addition to preparing humus, the leaves can be used as follows:

• Make compost (more on this later in the article).
• Transfer in the fall to a garden plot that has not been used this season. The sheet layer will protect it from active growth weed grass, moisture evaporation, leaching of humus from the ground. In spring, the leaves can be added to the compost heap.

Fallen leaf compost

Composting is great option processing fallen leaves. This organic fertilizer is free tool to feed the garden. You can add grass cuttings, food waste, manure, bird droppings, small branches, vegetable tops, straw, wood shavings, sawdust. Fall from trees and shrubs goes well with the listed components.

Leaves should be healthy, not affected by pests, diseases.

Composting can be done in different ways:

1. Compost pit.
   It is necessary to dig a recess in the ground (about 0.3 m). In width, a size of 1x1 or 2.5x2.5 is suitable, depending on the dimensions of the free area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site. The benefit of this method of composting is the continuous composting process even in winter. It is necessary to lay the components in layers, impregnating them with liquid. Every month, it is necessary to turn the layers of compost with a pitchfork or a shovel to saturate the material with air and, accordingly, accelerate maturation.
2. Compost heap.
   It is necessary to prepare a place for storing and maturing compost on small area vegetable garden, enclosing it with wooden planks. You can make a small gate in the fence for free access to compost. The design is created by laying layers of leaves at the rate of 5 parts leaf litter for 1 hour of food waste. It is necessary to turn the compost periodically. The first turning must be done no earlier than 21 days after laying. In dry weather, it is advisable to moisten the heap. From above, it is recommended to cover the structure with a film to maintain warmth inside.
3. Compost in bags.
   If there is not enough free space for the compost heap, plastic bags can be used as a container for preparing fertilizer. The process of laying the components is identical for all composting methods. The difference is only in the storage of compost. The leaves of fruit trees and many forest plantations rot faster than the litter of evergreen crops. The readiness period can be up to 3 years. To speed up this process, the raw material is crushed. There is a device on sale called a “mulcher” that will help you cope with the task. Several holes must be made in the bag for unimpeded air flow. The top of the bag is not tied, since the presence of moisture in the maturation of the finished compost plays a paramount role. A bag for laying compost is sold in specialized gardening stores. Growers also use regular garbage bags (large). The main condition is black color and high density packaging. Do not add to compost:
   • diseased plants;
   • fresh manure;
   • toxic agents and their residues;
   • recently cut weeds;
   • bones, meat of animals.
4. Compost in barrels.
   On sale there are special units designed to prepare compost in a short time. The essence of their work is the constant continuous turning of the working material. Fertilizer preparation time is reduced to a week.

Nitrogen-containing grass (nettle, lawn) will serve as an accelerator of decay. Compost in bags will be ready for use after 1-2 years.

Pros and cons of leaf compost

Compost has several benefits:

1. increases soil fertility, improves its structure;
2. no need to spend cash for the removal of waste and the purchase of additional dressings;
3. compost is an ecological product that does not harm humans and the environment;
4. improves soil moisture exchange;
5. used for mulching, does not allow the germination of weed grass;
6. acts as a bait for hedgehogs that destroy pests;
7. promotes the development of beneficial microflora;
8. provides sufficient fertilizer for the garden without the use of chemicals.

The disadvantages of leaf compost include the need frequent watering heaps and careful selection of tree species to collect foliage. Some leaf litter sticks together, which increases the duration of composting.

Cooking technology

At the bottom of the tank for the future compost, you need to lay a turf pillow 5 cm high. Then you need to lay the leaves in layers (each layer is no more than 10 cm), sprinkling them with soil: this is necessary so that the beneficial microflora gets into the fertilizer. Leaf layers are moistened with a solution of urea or saltpeter, caustic soda, slurry from fermented grass, wood ash in turn, not forgetting to sprinkle the leaves with earth.

After the formation of layers, it is necessary to cover the structure with grass (5 cm). Sprinkle on top:

1. crushed straw (to provide soil with oxygen);
2. hay for the appearance of beneficial microorganisms.

Prepared compost should be watered with diluted potassium permanganate (1%). The top should be covered with a layer of grass, plantings down. Then you need to insert 2 tubes to the middle for air exchange and moisture passage.

Warming leaves beds with winter garlic

Leaf litter is suitable as a frost protection material. Planting garlic is carried out in September-October to a depth of 8-10 cm. From above, they mulch with a layer of birch leaves 0.1 m high. At the end, they cover with raspberry branches so that the wind does not blow the foliage around the garden.

Ash

Ash fertilizer is suitable for acidic soils. Burnt leaves are applied at the rate of 2.5 kg per 10 m2 of land, mixed with earth dug up to 10 cm. Ash helps in the fight against snails and slugs. Does not contain chlorine.

Mulch

Leaf compost is also used for mulching. Dry material will do. It must be placed around near the trunks of trees, scattered in the aisle in the garden.

Leaf litter retains moisture in the ground, protects against frost and drought, and prevents the growth of weeds.

Fallen leaves are effective fertilizer at proper preparation, increase the yield and fertility of the soil, improve its structure. It should be remembered that the leaves of not all trees and shrubs can be used as top dressing. So, oak litter will change the acidity of the soil, so it can not be used on all types of soil.