Mixing compost, leaf mulch & manure?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by cindys, Mar 19, 2010.

  1. cindys

    cindys Active Member

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    Location:
    Victoria (Fairfield) BC Canada
    Last spring, I got more of the Vancouver compost mix and steer manure than I actually used. Last fall, my husband and I ground up all the leaves that fell and I have several bags of leaf mulch that I haven't yet used. I can easily identify the leaf mulch, as it is in orange or green garbage bags. However, I can't distinguish between the manure and the compost (I know, I thought a sniff test would be enough, but it isn't :) )!

    My question - Should I mix all three as a kind of "super mulch"? Or should I just mix the compost and the manure?

    I usually put lots of steer manure around my roses at this time of the year and wondered if the triple mix (or double mix) would be ok for them. Would there be anything that I should avoid putting the triple or double mix around?

    Any advice???
     
  2. Grant Gussie

    Grant Gussie Active Member

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    Location:
    Salt Spring Island
    Dont over think the composting and mulching. In nature is all ends up on the ground, and so all ends up as soil humous. Its all good. Unless the leaves have a very high percentage of walnut leaves (toxic) or are almost exclusively conifer needles (acidic) feel free to use them alone or mixed with manure. I would tend to place leaf mulch on top of a layer of compost and manure, rather than mixing them all together, but by the next spring, the worms will have them all mixed and rotted together anyway, so it doesn't matter. You may want to check the compost pH and add some wood ashes or dolomite if its very low (below 5) but otherwise, don't worry about it.
     

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