Fluffy Oak Compost

Im wondering if anybody knows what the ph is on composted oak leaves? Is it too acidic or too alkaline for pot? I was picking chanterelles, and while walking, my feet sunk up to my calves in this moist, spongy, dark brown earth. I grabbed a handfull and it looked like it would be perfect to grow in. Its in a shaded grove of old trees that have a hundred years of composted leaf litter, 18" deep, under them. What do I need to add to this stuff to make it cozy for the girls? I am planning on adding coir, perlite, and worm castings. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

run water through and check the ph, which is probably around 5.0. add some lime and it should be ok.

should be good bro ! If you compost it !

I use a basic mushroom compost; wheat straw, horse & chicken manure and gypsum (calcium sulfate) with hydrated lime, pot ash. organic soil, wormcastings, mixed with coco fiber....
There are a variety of optional ingredients that may be added. A brief outline of some materials used in making composts follows:
Straw:
serves as a carbon source (carbohydrate) source wheat - considered the best - contains xylan oat, barley - break down more rapidly than wheat rye - breaks down slower than wheat also corn cobs, oak and beech leaves, etc.
Other Carbohydrate Sources:
Rice straw, molasses, brewer's grains, cottonseed meal (provides the fatty acid - linoleic acid -which is reported to stimulate yields.)
Manures:
nitrogen source, provides organisms essential to composting horse - most commonly used, fresher the better poultry - higher in nitrogen and phosphorous than horse, not so rich in potash (provided in wheat straw), faster and hotter than horse, use dry pig and sheep - must be used before they become sticky - used partly dry
Other Nitrogen Sources:
Blood meal (dried blood), bone meal urea, ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) Gypsum: calcium sulfate (CaSO4) - helps to prevent the loss of nitrogen (from the breakdown of proteins during the act of composting) by chelating the ammonia
Optional Mineral Sources:
Superphosphate; is said to promote vigorous flowering growth, but an excess may make the beds too acid too soon which depreciate the crop. It should not be used if there are a lot of droppings that r fresh) in the compost.
potash; used in synthetic composts.
Activators; compost "activators" can be obtained from nursery and garden stores and assures the presence of the organism essential to composting.
The following recipes create about one half ton of compost. One half ton of compost will provide enough compost for about 60 square feet of beds (surface area). At least one quart of grain spawn per 15 square feet of bed surface should be used.
Sample MY Compost Recipes:
I do this in winter every year then additives are introduced to pile.
I have not got one at moment ....(had to move house) But have strated a new pile this week!

5 bales wheat straw,
half a pickup (half ton) horse manure,
30 lbs. gypsum,
4 lbs. activator,
90 lbs. chicken manure,
40 lbs. Blood & bone meal

This is what I do to prep!
To prepare compost, the straw must be soaked for several days until it just about, but not quite, squeezes water out in your hands. The compost pile is then built by stacking alternating layers of straw, activator, manure and gypsum until all the materials are used up. The stack should be 4-6 feet high.
In about 48 hours the heap will begin to generate heat and will sink somewhat in height. By the fourth to sixth day the temperature in the interior of the pile should reach 160°F (71°C). Temperatures of up to 160°F are due to thermophilic organisms. Temperatures over 170°F are due to chemical bonds being broken as well as other chemical reactions. Temperatures over 160°F are undesirable.

Oak leaf should be different... you will have to find the breakdown.... but if you compost first you will be fine !

I add a shit load of vegtable matter... every other day;; fresh veg shop always have scraps ! so grab some it will be free....... pumkin leaf, banana , mushrooms,cucumber particular.... but any thing is good..
Turn every day or two..... elevate the compost bed by the way i usually place black plastic weed mat on bottom to creat a run off when watering down the pile....... creats black gold........a fertz tea....
Also this compst would be great as mix in soil..

if you cant get tea from a run off... place some shovel fulls in a bucket fill with water and place small hole in bottom......... place another bucket under it.

also found this

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http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0510540022475.html

Composting Oak Leaves



I have lots of oak trees. I researched and discovered that these leaves are slower to break down. How much slower are we talking about? It's been 6 months or so, and besides the oak leaves everything is almost done. I have been using the mix as-is, but the leaves make it too fluffy to pack down properly when I am planting. Should I avoid adding oak leaves to the compost in the future, or if I can get the pile hotter will they break down faster?
Thanks!
Melissa


Follow-Up Postings:

RE: Composting Oak Leaves


Good questions! I compost a lot of oak leaves, and they do take longer. here's some tips on them-
1) Shred them as much as you can. They are tough and breaking them up not only increases surface area for microbes to attack- but it makes entry points in the tough material. This really is the best way to make it go faster.
2) As you guessed- a hot pile does it faster. If I know that my pile will be hot- it will break them down (shreds for me a bit).
3) Think about using them as mulch. If you shred them up, compost what you can, and just use the rest as a thickish mulch- they will break down in place and make a great worm habitat. Becaus ethey take a little longer to break down- they make a good mulch, and eventually make compost right where you want it!
4)You can plant in unfinished compost. You can mix it in with soil, and your soil will drain nicely and the leaves will break down in place. Or- plant in the soil, and put the compost on top. Or- use it in a lasagna bed. Honestly- there are very few ways to go wrong here, so don't worry. have fun!

Isn't it already composted? It looks like what you find in a bag of compost from the nursery. Its been sitting there for god knows how long.

Yes and no ! if you dig down to soil... then you will have pre composted... but the loose leaf slop is still leaf... read last post cut & pasted from anothe fourm....she stats that the loose leaf was to fluffy could not keep it down,.. I would run a compost anyway .... so i guess if your not..
Worth building though ....free fertz + worm farm you got every thing you need untill flower !

I appreciate the input. I do have a compost pile that I put all yard and kitchen waste in, as well as the manure from my chicken coop, that has 8 hens in it.

Its just that the soil that I have at my planting site is mostly clay. And I am thinking about importing a couple of yards of the oak compost to fill the holes with. After I amend it with the perlite, coir, castings and whatever else works well. Maybe some rabbit poo? I've heard that It doesn't have to be composted. Just mix it in, or top dress with it.

piatch said:

Its just that the soil that I have at my planting site is mostly clay. And I am thinking about importing a couple of yards of the oak compost to fill the holes with. After I amend it with the perlite, coir, castings and whatever else works well. Maybe some rabbit poo? I've heard that It doesn't have to be composted. Just mix it in, or top dress with it.

Click to expand...

you need some gyspum and hydrated lime.....aswell...that willbreak down the clay....mix in the oak leaf compost some of your yard compost.... your good !