# Weird compost



## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

The clay soil post got me thinking that maybe some folks here might give me some ideas.

I make my own compost. By the nature of my yard, it is made up of a LOT of leaves (maple, mostly), garden and yard weeds (including field grasses), and household scraps. It's in a big pile and I turn it less often than I should.

Anyway, the result is a dark but very fine soil. The odd part is when you pour water on it, it beads up on the surface and does not soak in. I have to water the garden for literally hours to get the soil damp more than 1/4 inch down. Which I do not do, since I'm on a well. 

Any ideas on what is wrong with this compost? I have a big pile I'd like to use, but am not sure if I should.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

That's a weird one. Do you work the compost into the soil? It could be so "fine" that it's acting like clay, but I've not seen that before.:s


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

If you take a good plant starter mix that has peat moss and pour water on it, the water kind of beads up on it and takes a while to soak in. Pour some water in a bucket, then put a shovel full of your compost in it to see how it absorbs water. This should give you an idea of how it will work.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

My theory would be the maple leaf bits are still a little water resistant.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

You're dealing with a large amount of organic material, and that will cause some problems with surface tension, much like pure peat moss. If you've ever tried to get a fine mix of peat moss to initially absorb water, you'll see that it has hydrophobic (water hating) qualities. If peat moss is then mixed with perlite, vermiculite or screened bark, it has more of a chance to reduce the surface tension and will readily absorb water.

You're in the same situation with high organic (humus) composted leaves. I recommend that you add a load of shredded bark to your composted leaves in your garden, and in the future try to add a variety of materials to your compost pile, such as bark, straw and green matter, like lawn clippings. And, mix it up on a regular basis.

MM


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## summer1052 (Oct 21, 2007)

Mix just a tosh of plain dishwashing liquid (the less extra bleach, oxygen-izers, and ruffles & flourishes the better) to your water. A mix of soapy water in a sprayer on the hose works fine. It will help the water sink in. 

Coffee grounds and egg shells in the compost help too. I take a 5 gallon bucket to the cafe that does most of the breakfast business around here. They dump all their coffee grounds and filters and egg shells in there for a day or two, and I pick them up once a week. Worm populations in my garden went way up when I added the grinds.

Sum


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

Thanks for the input. I try to add straw, grass, etc. but there just isn't enough! Last year I set aside a 3 ft high pile of grass & weeds I had dug out for a new garden, to layer in with the leaves. But when the time came, I had a 5 ft high x 15 ft long pile of leaves! Amazing how many leaves three big old trees create.

Will try to mix in some shredded bark, and see if that helps.


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## Beehappy1950 (Oct 16, 2008)

Pour some basic H on it from Shaklee. Makes your soil take water fast. And it is organic.


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## Black Creek (May 19, 2006)

*What you have is Leaf Mold*

it's not weird compost you have, it's Leaf Mold. If you added more nitrogen sources to the leaves they would have broken down into a nice compost, but with out the nitrogen suppliment you still have a GREAT product to use in the garden. Mass piles of leaves left until they break down but not so long as they turn into black compost, will look like brown crumbly bits(almost black if wet) with spiderwebbing of mushroom mycelium trying to run through it. Crumble it up and till it in, OR use it as mulch. It will boost the life in your soil big time, and help hold water in the soil once you get it fully saturated. 


You can grow plants in pure compost, but most wont grow in pure leaf mold. But leaf mold added to the soil will seriously benefit your soil.

Picture the leaf litter in the woods. loose leaves on top, matted leaves below them, then a crumbly mushroomy partially root invaded layer, then soil. that partially root invaded layer is the leaf mold zone. thats how nature composts, not perfect balances of nitrogen and carbon. 


If you cant wet your soil, chances are you have added too much Leaf Mold at once. Add lime to help it break down faster.


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

That's great news, Black Creek! I will add lime to the garden beds that were a problem.

Compost looks even stranger now... it's completely white. (SNOW here today... argh!)


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## Paraplegic Racehorse (Jan 25, 2007)

Also try asking your local landscaper for tree branches or wood chips you can mulch into your leaves. Animal poo (including humanure if your pile is hot enough) and your cooking waste (oil, spoiled food, most of the paper containers, leftovers, etc) are also good stuff to add. Don't be afraid to raid your local restaurants' dumpsters, either.


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

Excellent timing! The electric company crews are scheduled to trim trees here in the next week or so. They are always happy to unload their chipper. I just have to make sure the bin does not contain trimmings from down the street where the trees are entwined in poison ivy... )


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