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jude2009_gw

oak leaf compost for roses

16 years ago

I have started composting about three years ago most of what goes into the composter are oak leaves my roses seem not to mind should I worry about the acid level in the compost .

Comments (4)

  • 16 years ago

    Most compost is PH neutral. I've used oak leaves for many years as mulch, winter protection, and compost.
    Don't worry about the acid level of the compost. It's probably not a factor.
    For years I've run over and shredded the many oak leaves in my yard with my garden tractor's mulching blade. a man down the street told me the acid in them would be harnful to my lawn. I have the nicest lush lawn in my neighbor hood.
    The last time he mentioned it, I asked him what horticulture classes he took that makes him such an expert on lawns. He took none. It was what he had heard.
    My training includes Prudue Advanced Master Gardener, Purdue Master Composter, and ARS Master Rosarian.

  • 16 years ago

    Don't worry about the pH of the oak leaf compost. (Oh, and if it bothers you anyway get a soil test of the soil near the roses.)

  • 16 years ago

    Nothing beats experience, but if you're interested in the theory of oak leaf compost:

    The composting of plant material is essentially a low temperature burning which is catalyzed by soil organisms and, like ordinary burning, the ashes which result are alkaline. The alkaline materials in finished compost are mostly metal carbonates, such as calcium carbonate (lime) and potassium carbonate, while in ordinary burning, the higher temperatures convert these to the more alkaline metal oxides. All finished plant compost, to the best of my knowledge, is alkaline.

    Fresh plant material, on the other hand, can be acidic. Oak leaves, pine needles and peat moss are good examples. If a large excess of these is applied so that the soil pH drops to around 4 and if there is little available nitrogen in the plant material, the population of soil organisms can be small and the acidity can last for a long time.

  • 16 years ago

    Mike, I presume the acidifying effect would be mostly if mixed with the soil as opposed to applying as a mulch?

    I also have long used oak leaf compost with no lowering of pH (which I monitor) and lately have been using oak leaves as a mulch.

    Long ago I tilled 3" of peat into my topsoil (which I would no longer do or recommend). After about 4 years when the peat had been digested with no visible traces remaining, the pH began rising as Mike's analysis would predict.