Mixing leaves in soil, and using right away

[smitty55]

I have read, somewhere, that dried leaves will leech nitrogen from the soil. Is that a concern?

It's my understanding that as leaves in soil break down they lock up the nitrogen as opposed to leaching it out of the soil. Once broken down the nitrogen becomes available again. You are far better off composting them first and then adding to your soil. If you want to break them down real quick you could use the drunken compost method.

 

[walterbyrd]

I am not familiar with the "drunken compost method."

 

[walterbyrd]

I am not familiar with the "drunken compost method."

 

[DirtMechanic]

It is fertilizing the uncomposted material with basically sugars to hype up the speed of composting biota. Carbohydrates like make up beer are useful in this regard, but then so too is molassessssss or even table sugar.

 

[smitty55]

I am not familiar with the "drunken compost method."

What Is A Drunken Compost And How Do You Make It? | GardenSuperior

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yeah, so be real careful about ammonia quantity relative to your size of pile. It is hot nitrogen, ready to go. Spread it around. Figure a gallon to be worth a half pound N and you wont poison the pile if its bigger. Mine sits on 5 air pipes 10 feet long and I use a gallon sometimes in the winter when the leaves have come down and the pile is chest high or so. But you have to have a moist pile inside. Mostly I just pee on it. It is a better use of beer.

Interestingly proteins usually show up at 5-6% Nitrogen. Soy bean meal for example has a high enough protein content to be used as a mild N fertilizer, so if you have a resource for protein laden veg throw it in there too. The proteins also break down into their building blocks of amino acids, and that makes a good compost.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Bread Makers and Mash or Beer Makers occasionally use Amylase Enzymes to convert more starch to sugar. 2.5ml per 20 Liters water is a reasonable rate for starting with the powder. I wonder if it would speed up leaf digestion? My garden is full of fall leaves

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have been digging a trench, filling it with wood, then putting a good laver of dead leaves and twigs on it before putting the earth back.