How to compost fallen / dry leaves at home easily
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- In this video we will share how to make compost from fallen leaves
if you have large trees in the yard, you will probably find lots of fallen leaves like this every day
instead of throwing them away, it's better to turn them into compost
The first thing we need to do is cut the leaves into small pieces
Can't we just compost them as it is without cutting them up first?
Yes, but it will take much longer
by cutting them into small pieces like this, the contact surface will be much greater, and the process will be much faster
then we add soil, it can be any soil, as long as plants can grow on them
just enough amount to spread evenly on the leaves
This soil provides bacteria and microorganisms to start the composting process
so we no longer need to use EM4 and other bacteria starter
then we add some water, enough to make the leaves moist
This is very important, because fallen leaves have very low moisture,
and the composting process will be halted if the moisture content is too low
so be generous with the water
then mix them evenly
a good mix looks like this
the leaves are wet and mixed evenly with the soil
For the container, I'm using a 20 L paint container with lots of holes on the side all the way to the bottom
then fill the container as fully as possible by pressing like this
So if the amount of leaves are too little, it's better to collect them for a few days before composting,
until the amount is enough to fill 1 container fully.
After 1 week we check by taking them out from the container
if dust came out when we stir, it means the water level has dropped too low, like this
or when we touch it, it's feels dry
let's add more water
So it's the opposite of making compost from kitchen waste which usually has excess water,
the main problem with composting fallen leaves, is usually the lack of water
So, after adding water and mixing again, it looks like this
then we put them back in, check and adjust the moisture content once a week
this is after 5 weeks
The leaves are dark brown - black
and it smells like soil, there is no acidic smell,
this is a sign that the compost is ready to be used as a planting media mixture
also if we hold it a bit hard the leaves crumble
and, if there were any seeds that accidentally mixed into the soil that we used at the beginning,
the seeds will now sprout, this is the most accurate indicator that the compost is ready to be used
Easy isn't it, see you in the next video