RE: Leaves in April
You have answered your own question, really, with your comment re. nitrogen.
It takes nitrogen to break down the carbonaceous material in the dried
leaves, making that nitrogen unavailable to your plants until it is
completed. This could lead to a deficit of nitrogen early on, with an
unwanted surge of nitrogen later when the process is completed. I would
compost your leaves with grass clippings and manure separately, then add as
needed when composting has finished.
Chris Wilbers
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Springfield, MO (Greene Co.) / Zone 6
Growing pumpkins since 1996
Personal best so far: 481 lbs. (1998)
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n*@sofnet.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@mallorn.com [o*@mallorn.com]On
Behalf Of LIpumpkin@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2000 12:17 PM
To: pumpkins@telelists.com; pumpkins@mallorn.com
Subject: Leaves in April
Hi All....I have just tilled my 19x37 backyard plot and added a bunch of
wheelbarrows of semi-decomposed maple and oak leaves.these were tilled in
with the winter rye I planted in the fall and 3 garbage cans of somewhat
aged
horse poopies.(garbage cans is the urban measuring system).My question is
this: I have about 20 hefty bags(another urban unit of measure) of non
chopped up non composted oak and maple leaves that i can adde to my patch.
If
I add this uncomposted material now,will I be tieing up all my nitrogen and
hurting the feeding of my pumpkin this summer? Help!!!!
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