When I moved into my home I had grass in my front yard and a male carob tree. The grass never did well under the tree. I had read that the leaves are high in tannic acid and attributed that to killing the grass. If I composted the leaves would that wreck the compost by making it too acidic or something? I would love to compost them as I have trouble getting enough material for my little compost pile and the tree almost continually drops leaves.
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The grass was probably starved of water by the tree, shaded and then covered by the leaves. Add the tannins and you have poor growth beneath the tree. The tannins shouldn't be a problem in the compost as long as the leaves don't swamp the other additives. If you have massive amounts of the leaves you can make "leaf mould" a high acidity type compost useful for adding to alkaline soils or for berry growing (most berries like acidic conditions especially blueberries). To make leaf mould make a circle/cylinder with chicken/fencing wire and fill with leaves. Keep slightly damp, keep adding leaves and wait. We do this over winter with the fall leaves. The result after a few months is a dark, rich compost which has similar properties to peat but none of the environmental implications associated with harvesting peat. You only add leaves nothing else.
cheers Harry
Jane Doyle > Harry HarrisonApril 24, 2009 at 12:41pm
Ooh, ooh! Would this same system work using pine needles? To prepare for hoped-for future raspberry and strawberry beds? Would all pine needles work, even Aleppo?
Are all tree leaves tannic or only certain types?
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cheers Harry
Are all tree leaves tannic or only certain types?