Leaf mold is a fantastic soil amendment that is easy to make and easy to use. Essentially composted leaves, it is a great use of fall leaves. Instead of adding a lot of different organic material to a compost pile, you only use the leaves from deciduous trees and shrubs and just let them decompose naturally.
What is leaf mold good for?
A few years ago, when we were trying to improve our clay soil in the new garden bed, we were able to procure copious amounts of leaf mold to help us out. While leaf mold doesn't add a lot in the way of fertility, it helps in various ways that make it worthwhile to compost those leaves out separately.
Essentially a soil conditioner, leaf mold adds organic matter to your garden soil. One of its best attributes is that it can hold up to 500 percent of its weight in water, greatly improving water retention. This retention helps reduce runoff and can help keep plants cool during hot, dry summers.
Leaf mold also greatly improves the soil structure which enhances water and air movement within the soil which provides a beneficial habitat for micro and macro-organisms such as beneficial bacteria and earthworms.
How to Make Leaf Mold
While creating traditional compost from your kitchen scraps generally utilizes hot methods, composting leaves is a cold compost. Created mostly by fungal breakdown instead of bacteria, it takes a long time to break down. That being said, there are two different ways to create leaf mold.
Option 1: Create a Leaf Pile
A really easy way to make leaf mold is to create a leaf pile. But, in order to compost leaves, you will need a big pile. About six feet in diameter by five-foot-high is adequate to create enough moisture retention and heat to break them down.
To do this, simply pile up a large pile of leaves and wet them down. Check the moisture levels and water them if they start to get dry. If you have the means, putting a plastic tarp on top of your leaves can help retain moisture for longer periods of time, but isn't necessary.
You can also give them a little turn with a garden fork when checking moisture levels to help incorporate a little oxygen into the pile to help the fungal breakdown.
Alternatively, you can create a compost bin using wood pallets or chicken wire and pile your leaves inside of it, covering it with a tarp (or lid). You'll want this bin to be sizeable to accommodate at least a five-foot square by six-foot-tall pile.
Option 2: Make Bags of Leaves
You can also easily create leaf mold by placing shredded leaves in large garbage bags. If the shredded leaves are dry, be sure to dampen them adequately when you place them in the plastic bags. Once moistened, close up the bag and poke a few small holes in the sides of it.
Alternatively, you can use whole leaves, but add a shovel full of manure or compost to the bag and make sure to moisten everything really well. You'll want to poke holes in the sides of bags with whole leaves in them, too.
The bags can just be put up out of the way for a year or so, giving them a good shake every now and then to help speed the process.
How long does it take to make leaf mold?
In general, a long period of time is required to make leaf mold. It takes six to eighteen months on average to make leaf mold compost, but there are several factors that help determine that timetable. Those are:
Size: This is why it is suggested to make a pile at least 5 feet in diameter by 6 feet high, the larger the pile the easier it is for all of that fungal activity to happen.
Moisture: Since leaf mold is created by fungal activity, you need a nice moist environment for those fungal spores to thrive, so keeping adequate moisture levels in your pile will help speed the process.
Type of Leaves: Leaves contain different levels of cellulose, depending on the tree they came from. Higher levels of cellulose take longer to break down than those leaves with lower levels. So, it is best to use a mixture of different leaves in order to create your pile.
Size of leaves: Shredding the leaves with a lawn mower or other manner before putting them in the pile will help speed up the decomposition process exponentially. Using very large, whole leaves will slow down the process. If you use whole leaves, it may take even longer than 12 months before you have useable leaf mold.
Age of leaves and other contents: Freshly fallen leaves have higher levels of nitrogen, which speeds up the decomposition process. Leaves that have been on the ground for even a week or two don't have much nitrogen and will take longer to decompose. A great way to increase the nitrogen content of older leaves is to simply add some nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings, pine needles, or other yard waste into the pile, which will also help speed up the process.
How do I know the leaf mold is ready?
You'll know the leaf mold is ready when it's soft and crumbly. It will have an earthy aroma, be dark brown to black in color, and closely resemble regular compost.
Using Leaf Compost
Leaf mold has various uses and, as I said, is an excellent soil amendment. You can add it to in-ground beds by tilling it in to improve the structure of the soil and water retention capabilities.
You can also use it as a mulch in your vegetable gardens or flower beds which is a great way to prevent extreme changes in soil temperatures, keep the soil surface loose to allow water to penetrate easily, and slow evaporation of water.
It's also excellent to use in containers and raised beds because of its water retention capabilities. Simply mix it in with the soil in those containers and raised beds.
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