Leaf Mold Is An Excellent Soil Conditioner
by John Yazo
When fall comes around there is no shortage of leaves. There is something that you can do with the leaves that will benefit your garden. Turn your leaves into a free soil conditioner.
Leaf mold is a soil conditioner with low fertility. It is mainly used to improve the structure of soil by improving both water retention and drainage. It is also excellent to be used as a mulch,it can suppress weed growth and prevent evaporation. The earthworms love it and work hard to blend it into the soil for you. It is also good to use as a potting mix amendment for raising seedlings. A Mixture of equal parts of leaf mold, loam and compost make a good multi-purpose potting compost mix.
Leaves also are a great way to cover exposed soil in your garden beds over winter,piling leaves onto the soil surface will protect the soil from erosion due too heavy winter rains.This will protect the soil structure and the leaves can be dug into the soil or added to your compost pile in the spring.
Leaf mold is very easy to make. Just rake and collect all your leaves then put them into one place and let them to rot. You can also make a leaf mold bin just like a compost bin with 4 stakes and some wire mesh, or you can even put leaves into plastic bags to decompose. The containers that you use don't really matter, as long as the leaves get moisture either by rain or you will have to wet leaves. If you are using plastic bags then you will need to provide a few air holes in the bags.
Now all you need is time and patience. Some of the leaves will take longer to break down than other ones will. Once spring comes around you will have partially rotted leaves that can be used as a mulch. If you want fully composted leaves then leave them decomposing until fall. Once you start making leaf mold year after year you will soon have a full steady supply.
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