Content
- Put walnut leaves on the compost?
- Are walnut leaves allowed on the compost?
- Create second compost pile for walnut leaves
- For which plants is sour compost suitable?
- Lime compost
- Tips
Walnut leaves make the compost very sour
Put walnut leaves on the compost?
Many gardeners warn against putting walnut leaves on the compost. This warning is not completely unjustified. Nevertheless, you may of course also compost the leaves of a walnut tree. You only have to consider a few things.
Are walnut leaves allowed on the compost?
Walnut leaves contain a lot of tannic acid. On the one hand, the acid ensures that the leaves only rot very slowly. On the other hand, it acidifies the compost so that it is not suitable for the fertilization of all plants in the garden.
Walnut leaves certainly do not harm in small quantities and will not burden the compost too much. But you should first chop the leaves and mix it with other garden waste.
In any case, only foliage that is free of fungi and pests belongs to the compost. For walnut leaves, however, such problems rarely occur.
Create second compost pile for walnut leaves
If you have a lot of walnut leaves, you should consider making a second compost pile by composting only leaves and other acidic substances.
Another option is to sweep the leaves into a pile. It is then minced and mixed in very small quantities on the main compost heap with other, more rapidly degrading materials. Then the compost soil does not get so acidic and the rotting process runs a little faster.
For which plants is sour compost suitable?
Very sour compost, such as composting walnut leaves and other foliage, can be used very well if you want to fertilize moor bed plants. These plants enjoy compost from walnut leaves:
Lime compost
So that compost soil, which has become very sour with walnut leaves, can also be used for other plants, you can also lime the compost.
The lime should be sprinkled just before use. As dosage, one kilogram of lime per three cubic meters of compost is recommended. The best lime for this application is algae lime.
Tips
Not only leaves can make Compost soil very sour. Many conifers such as thuja should not be brought in too large quantities on the compost. Before that, the cut material is chopped to make it rotting faster.