How to convert dry leaves into compost or mulch for gardens?

 

Coordinator Prohuerta AMBA - Delta, belonging to the Ministry of Social Development of the Nation - INTA, tells the secrets to achieve this use. Autumn is the ideal season to make these recipes

The coordinator stated that "a good use of the dry leaves can be used as a soil cover". And he assured: “After working the land for the autumn-winter sowing, it is important to cover the newly tilled soil; you should never leave the land unprotected as rain can damage bare soil ”.

“For this it is advisable to cover it with organic matter (“ mulch ”). The dry leaves of autumn are a good alternative: they allow to cover the ground, let the rain pass and in a couple of months they degrade. You can sow it and then cover it, it doesn't do anything to newly emerged plants ”, Pescio details.

Another possible use of dried leaves is to improve the compost: “Compost is a fundamental element to achieve a healthy soil full of nutrients. Generally the most common residues are those that we call green or energetic: harvest remains, peels or discarded vegetables. However, to achieve a good compost it is necessary to add more woody or drier residues ”, indicates the Coordinator.

“In cities - adds Francisco Pescio - getting this type of material can be a good challenge. Autumn brings this valuable material to every sidewalk: the dry leaves are an ideal complement to the compost heap as they provide dry or brown residues. "

On what types of leaves they serve, Pescio agreed that they serve almost all. However, the vegetable garden specialist advises that you should avoid using the needles of conifers and casuarinas, and eucalyptus leaves since “these leaves have resins and other substances that acidify the soil and hinder the normal growth of other plants; therefore, it is preferable to avoid them.

At the same time he recommended that they should not be burned. One of the most common options is to make piles of leaves and burn them. However, "this practice is highly discouraged, for several reasons: on the one hand, it can be dangerous (because we generate sources of fire), we bother with smoke and, furthermore, we waste a very valuable resource for our garden," adds Pescio.