LEAF MOLD...

ROB TWO-HAWKS · November 7, 2008

...Anyone out there had any luck/experience starting Maters/Peppers in...Sifted-Leaf-Mold? I've grown Indoor Plants successfully in this & use it often in my ''Home-made'' Mixes...but never started seeds in Leaf Mold alone.
Also...I'm aware that Different Leaf Types have different PH & other impacts...but I'll do sum early trials to see-how-it-goes.
Reason I ask about this is... I'm still looking for a soil-less mix(without ''Peat Moss'') for starting the Peppers.Why wait thru a Long-Germination(?)... & Peat almost guarantees that. Without doubt...''Cactus Mix'' works-well but with Many,Many Peppers that can also get...prohibitive. Any info here ..or.. other ''non-Peat'' ideas is....Most-Welcome!
Thanks.... ROB

piegirl · November 7, 2008

Hi Rob - I used leaf mold (oak, mostly, to be exact) in all my planting holes - dug out the soil, placed the tomato seedling in and filled w/ LM plus a touch of epsom salt and egg shells, the removed soil (heavily amended w/compost over the years) was pulled in and around the plants. These tomatoes did outstanding in every area - disease, growth, etc. Planting seeds could be different but I bet they would do fantastic. Piegirl

ROB TWO-HAWKS · November 7, 2008

Piegirl.... I think you're onto-sumthin there! My gut-instinct also says ..''YES''.. so I'll do the germ-tests.
Meanwhile...I've often appreciated leaf mold's value in the garden...so why not in the Planting-Hole? Thanks for the input and for further-inspiration!
ROB

dice · November 8, 2008

I had one seedling in about 3/4 half-composted birch leaves
last spring (other 1/4 was old potting soil that had been
rain-rinsed for a few months). It took awhile to take off,
but once it did, it grew well.

These leaves were kind of coarse for seed starting. More
thoroughly composted and screened leaf mold would probably
be a lot better.

piegirl · November 9, 2008

Dice - my leaf mold broke down into the most beautiful, fine grained soil - like very rich brown coffee grounds, took about a year and a half. I have enough stored for next year with extra to mix into some potting soil. This year's supply of oak leaves blew away in 60 mph winds this week. Piegirl

dice · November 9, 2008

I think sub-freezing weather helps break them down faster.
Out here we get little of that in the winter, and even then
it is around high-20s F (a few degrees below 0C), and that
does not reach very far down into a leaf pile. A few inches down
it is still usually above freezing.

When the leaves actually freeze, water inside their cells
expands and explodes the cell membranes. When the leaves
simply die from being separated from a stem, those cell
membranes only shrivel up. Bacteria and fungi still operate
on them in compost piles, but the process of decay takes
longer, because the leaves are in larger pieces, either whole
or shredded. They seem to break down into fine leaf mold
faster if the cell membranes have been broken up into tiny
little pieces by freezing temperatures.

Earthworms apparently love them either way. My leaf piles seem
to be full of red wigglers all winter.

November 7, 2008	#1
ROB TWO-HAWKS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: EAST PALESTINE,OHIO Posts: 35	LEAF MOLD... ...Anyone out there had any luck/experience starting Maters/Peppers in...Sifted-Leaf-Mold? I've grown Indoor Plants successfully in this & use it often in my ''Home-made'' Mixes...but never started seeds in Leaf Mold alone. Also...I'm aware that Different Leaf Types have different PH & other impacts...but I'll do sum early trials to see-how-it-goes. Reason I ask about this is... I'm still looking for a soil-less mix(without ''Peat Moss'') for starting the Peppers.Why wait thru a Long-Germination(?)... & Peat almost guarantees that. Without doubt...''Cactus Mix'' works-well but with Many,Many Peppers that can also get...prohibitive. Any info here ..or.. other ''non-Peat'' ideas is....Most-Welcome! Thanks.... ROB

November 8, 2008	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I had one seedling in about 3/4 half-composted birch leaves last spring (other 1/4 was old potting soil that had been rain-rinsed for a few months). It took awhile to take off, but once it did, it grew well. These leaves were kind of coarse for seed starting. More thoroughly composted and screened leaf mold would probably be a lot better. __________________ -- alias

November 9, 2008	#6
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I think sub-freezing weather helps break them down faster. Out here we get little of that in the winter, and even then it is around high-20s F (a few degrees below 0C), and that does not reach very far down into a leaf pile. A few inches down it is still usually above freezing. When the leaves actually freeze, water inside their cells expands and explodes the cell membranes. When the leaves simply die from being separated from a stem, those cell membranes only shrivel up. Bacteria and fungi still operate on them in compost piles, but the process of decay takes longer, because the leaves are in larger pieces, either whole or shredded. They seem to break down into fine leaf mold faster if the cell membranes have been broken up into tiny little pieces by freezing temperatures. Earthworms apparently love them either way. My leaf piles seem to be full of red wigglers all winter. __________________ -- alias

November 7, 2008	#2
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	Hi Rob - I used leaf mold (oak, mostly, to be exact) in all my planting holes - dug out the soil, placed the tomato seedling in and filled w/ LM plus a touch of epsom salt and egg shells, the removed soil (heavily amended w/compost over the years) was pulled in and around the plants. These tomatoes did outstanding in every area - disease, growth, etc. Planting seeds could be different but I bet they would do fantastic. Piegirl