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In my yard I mainly have oak trees. I try to create leaf mold from them and was told that this can take longer than one year which seems to be the average duration for "other" leaves.

What do I need to pay attention to when creating leaf mold from exclusively oak leaves?

Patrick B.
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2 Answers2

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I use a large chicken wire surround in the adjacent woods to my home. I make sure that the leaves are compressed and then leave them alone. Perhaps because it is open to the elements, I have never had to wait longer than a year for oak leaves to decompose to fluffy leaf mold. A sibling has tried this method concealing the surround behind a car park and has had similar results. Either way, the surround is easy, the disposition of leaves very quick and no other effort has to be made.

Suzanne
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  • If you've got the space, then Suzanne's method is another option, although I always wait long enough for the leafmould to look like rich, black soil, which it does if left long enough, rather than anything that looks fluffy. – Bamboo Nov 13 '12 at 11:29
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Other than ensuring the oak leaves are free from fungal infections, nothing much. Just collect them up, put in black binliners, make sure they're nice and damp by watering if necessary, stick a few holes in the bottom of the bag, tie the top and stand somewhere out of the way for at least a year, probably 2, till they've become dark, crumbly soil. Process can be hastened by running a mower over the leaves to chop them up a bit before bagging.

In my experience, all the leaves I've done this with take 18 months to 2 years, regardless of variety.

Bamboo
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