4 ms·

I do a similar thing with leaves. There’s a place where I blow all my leaves in the fall and it’s become a long term composting pit.

by wil421 6y ago

foxhop 6y ago
Keep up the great work! That said leaf blowers are so loud (make sure everyone around has hearing protection) Have you considered using a rake to make piles on a tarp? The tarp is then dragged to your desired composting location and emptied. I learned this method from my elderly Korean neighbor when I was young and have used it over leaf blowing for the last 20 years.
- therealx 6y ago
  Electric leaf blowers are a lot quieter, as well.
  - bdamm 6y ago
    I'm really enjoying the new generation of battery powered lawn tools. From chainsaws to leafblowers to lawnmowers, li-ion is taking over. I won't miss the mess and cheapo carbs and tricks like shipping products without a simple fuel filter.
    - clairity 6y ago
      i can't wait either. gas leaf blowers are technically illegal in LA, but yardworkers still use them all over the place without concern. they're loud, but more gravely, emit noxious pollution. all the more, it's not much more work or time to sweep or rake whatever it is they're (more rigorously) blowing up into the air and our lungs.
      - therealx 6y ago
        Thank you for inadvertinely informing me that they are illegal in LA :).
        clairity 6y ago
        you're welcome--you can apparently report it, giving regulators the time and place to come check and cite the violation. i haven't done so because i don't want to punish low-wage workers frivolously, but i hate the smell and pollution those things put off.
    - wil421 6y ago
      Good luck when your manufacturer changes their battery system or drops their electric line all together. Or your batteries start to deform. I’ve seen all of the above happen to family members. Keep ethanol fuel out of the equipment to keep the carbs in good shape.
      - mmastrac 6y ago
        Third-party battery packs are super common for electric tools, especially for the older generations.
      - snark42 6y ago
        There's usually a third party manufacturer you can get replacement batteries from for any decently popular system. My cost on batteries/electricity is probably less than I would have spent on fuel. The noise/size/maintenance-free advantages of electric are huge too.
    - rootusrootus 6y ago
      Electric is nice, but the long term cost seems to be significantly higher. As a practical matter an battery electric mower, for example, is good for a few years. Where a gas powered Honda is good for decades. This is what has stopped me from buying too many electric yard tools. Instead I just pay someone to do the yard and that way the ecological impact of the tools are minimized.
samstave 6y ago
I was going to ask this? How compost leaves? Just put in a pile? How add mycillium/fungi to said pile? I just put a bunch of leaves out to green pickup - but I would rather learn how to compost them... off to google - but would love your input
- wil421 6y ago
  Yes just rake them into a pile. For anaerobic (no oxygen) composting you just leave the pile alone and let nature do it’s work. The spores are already there they just need the right conditions. It will take months to year(s) if you just let it sit. For aerobic composting you should layer leaves and grass clippings. One brown layer, one green layer and so on. It’s best done in a sunny area and you’ll need to turn the compost weekly. It should only take a few months or more and it will be hot. Ever driven by a steaming pile of wood chips or some other steaming earthy pile? Organisms are making heat while they feed on organic matter. Just remember the fungus and organisms are already there they just needs the right conditions to flourish.
  - foxhop 6y ago
    Perfect response.
- foxhop 6y ago
  Depends on how much work you want to do, but please research the difference between hot and cold compost, you may use either process for leaves, ideally you will want at least 1 meter cubed. For hot compost you will need a feedstock of nitrogen for the bacteria. Grass clippings, coffee grounds, liquid nitrogen (urine). This is bacteria dominant composting (hot composting is fast). On the other hand if you want to do less work just make them in a pile and allow for fungi to process the leaves over a longer period of time. This is fungi dominant composting (cold composting is slower). The soil life is already present on the leaves. Just keep the pile consistently moist but not soaking wet. I have hot composting videos documented on YouTune, although they are from before I upgraded my camera so the quality isn't as good as my newer videos, hopefully still informational.

I do a similar thing with leaves. There’s a place where I blow all my leaves in the fall and it’s become a long term composting pit.

by wil421 6y ago

I do a similar thing with leaves. There’s a place where I blow all my leaves in the fall and it’s become a long term composting pit.

foxhop 6y ago

Keep up the great work! That said leaf blowers are so loud (make sure everyone around has hearing protection) Have you considered using a rake to make piles on a tarp? The tarp is then dragged to your desired composting location and emptied. I learned this method from my elderly Korean neighbor when I was young and have used it over leaf blowing for the last 20 years.

therealx 6y ago
Electric leaf blowers are a lot quieter, as well.
- bdamm 6y ago
  I'm really enjoying the new generation of battery powered lawn tools. From chainsaws to leafblowers to lawnmowers, li-ion is taking over. I won't miss the mess and cheapo carbs and tricks like shipping products without a simple fuel filter.
  - clairity 6y ago
    i can't wait either. gas leaf blowers are technically illegal in LA, but yardworkers still use them all over the place without concern. they're loud, but more gravely, emit noxious pollution. all the more, it's not much more work or time to sweep or rake whatever it is they're (more rigorously) blowing up into the air and our lungs.
    - therealx 6y ago
      Thank you for inadvertinely informing me that they are illegal in LA :).
      - clairity 6y ago
        you're welcome--you can apparently report it, giving regulators the time and place to come check and cite the violation. i haven't done so because i don't want to punish low-wage workers frivolously, but i hate the smell and pollution those things put off.
  - wil421 6y ago
    Good luck when your manufacturer changes their battery system or drops their electric line all together. Or your batteries start to deform. I’ve seen all of the above happen to family members. Keep ethanol fuel out of the equipment to keep the carbs in good shape.
    - mmastrac 6y ago
      Third-party battery packs are super common for electric tools, especially for the older generations.
    - snark42 6y ago
      There's usually a third party manufacturer you can get replacement batteries from for any decently popular system. My cost on batteries/electricity is probably less than I would have spent on fuel. The noise/size/maintenance-free advantages of electric are huge too.
  - rootusrootus 6y ago
    Electric is nice, but the long term cost seems to be significantly higher. As a practical matter an battery electric mower, for example, is good for a few years. Where a gas powered Honda is good for decades. This is what has stopped me from buying too many electric yard tools. Instead I just pay someone to do the yard and that way the ecological impact of the tools are minimized.

samstave 6y ago

I was going to ask this? How compost leaves? Just put in a pile? How add mycillium/fungi to said pile? I just put a bunch of leaves out to green pickup - but I would rather learn how to compost them... off to google - but would love your input

wil421 6y ago
Yes just rake them into a pile. For anaerobic (no oxygen) composting you just leave the pile alone and let nature do it’s work. The spores are already there they just need the right conditions. It will take months to year(s) if you just let it sit. For aerobic composting you should layer leaves and grass clippings. One brown layer, one green layer and so on. It’s best done in a sunny area and you’ll need to turn the compost weekly. It should only take a few months or more and it will be hot. Ever driven by a steaming pile of wood chips or some other steaming earthy pile? Organisms are making heat while they feed on organic matter. Just remember the fungus and organisms are already there they just needs the right conditions to flourish.
- foxhop 6y ago
  Perfect response.
foxhop 6y ago
Depends on how much work you want to do, but please research the difference between hot and cold compost, you may use either process for leaves, ideally you will want at least 1 meter cubed. For hot compost you will need a feedstock of nitrogen for the bacteria. Grass clippings, coffee grounds, liquid nitrogen (urine). This is bacteria dominant composting (hot composting is fast). On the other hand if you want to do less work just make them in a pile and allow for fungi to process the leaves over a longer period of time. This is fungi dominant composting (cold composting is slower). The soil life is already present on the leaves. Just keep the pile consistently moist but not soaking wet. I have hot composting videos documented on YouTune, although they are from before I upgraded my camera so the quality isn't as good as my newer videos, hopefully still informational.