Don’t let leaves go to waste, they have so much valuable nutrition if you turn them into leaf mold.
Collecting and preparing leaves can be a simple yet effective way to create leaf mold. In Japan, one method involves using the water that is used to rinse rice to make leaf mold. After collecting fallen leaves, they are left for about a week until they die. Then, the leaves are placed in a double plastic bag with the rice water and stirred until all the leaves become moist. The bag is then tied and placed in the sun, with regular stirring every week. After a month and a half, the leaves will start to lose shape, indicating that the fermentation process is complete.
Different methods of creating leaf mold have been tried, including covering the leaves with rice bran and soil and adding water, but the method of using rice water appears to be the most successful. However, care must be taken to manage moisture levels, as too much moisture can lead to rotting. Overall, creating leaf mold can be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to enrich soil and improve plant growth.
Key Takeaways
- Collecting and preparing fallen leaves can be a simple way to create leaf mold.
- Using rice water to moisten the leaves and ferment them in a plastic bag in the sun is an effective method.
- Care must be taken to manage moisture levels during the fermentation process to prevent rotting.
Collecting and Preparing Leaves
To make leaf mold, fallen leaves are collected and left for about a week until they die. After a week, most of the leaves will have died. The water used to rinse rice in Japan is used to make leaf mold. Rice is rinsed 2-3 times and the water is collected. The leaves are then placed in a double plastic bag and the edge of the bag is cut so that the water can come out. The inner plastic bag is also cut in the same way. The water used to rinse the rice is poured into the bag and regular water can also be added. The leaves are stirred so that they become moist. The bag is then tied and placed in the sun.
After a week, the bag is stirred every week and then tied and placed in the sun again. If it rains, the bag will get wet, but it’s okay. The leaves on the surface of the plastic bag are easy to dry. The dried leaves are then placed inside the bag. When the leaves are squeezed, water comes out, indicating that there is a lot of moisture. A hole is made in the bottom of the plastic bag and fermentation proceeds when it is sunny.
After a month and a half, the leaves start to lose shape. This is probably due to the large amount of moisture, which causes fermentation to progress considerably in two months. However, if there is too much moisture, the leaves will rot, so care must be taken. If rice bran is added, it will absorb the moisture, but this time it was not used, so the leaves are dried in the sun.
When the bag is left untied, excess moisture disappears and the leaf mold becomes fluffy. The leaf mold is almost finished and can be transported safely.
In previous years, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and soil and added water to make leaf mold. However, the resulting mold did not become fluffy. Last year, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and added water, and the resulting mold was fluffy and completed in 90 days. This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year.
Rice Water Preparation
To make leaf mold, the speaker collects fallen leaves and leaves them for about a week until the leaves die. After a week, most of the leaves have died. The speaker uses the water that is used to rinse rice to make leaf mold. In Japan, rice is rinsed 2-3 times, and the water used for rinsing is collected. The speaker puts the leaves in a double plastic bag and cuts the edges of the bag so that the water can come out. The inner plastic bag is also cut, and the water that is used to rinse the rice is added to the bag. The bag is stirred so that all the leaves become moist, and it is tied and placed in the sun. The speaker stirs the bag every week and ties it again and places it in the sun. If it rains, the plastic bag will get wet, but it’s okay. The leaves on the surface of the plastic bag are easy to dry. The dried leaves are put inside the leaves, and when the speaker squeezes the leaves, water comes out, so there is a lot of moisture.
To proceed with fermentation, the speaker makes a hole in the bottom of the plastic bag. Fermentation proceeds when it is sunny. The speaker stirs the bag every week, and the moisture decreases a little. After a month and a half, the leaves start to lose their shape, probably because of the large amount of moisture. However, if there is too much moisture, it will rot, so the speaker must be careful. If there is rice bran, it will absorb the moisture, but this time the speaker does not put rice bran, so the leaf mold is dried in the sun.
The speaker notes that it smells bad when the leaf mold goes bad. When the bag is left untied, the excess moisture disappears, and the leaf mold becomes fluffy. To make leaf mold, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and soil and added water the year before last. There was soil in it, so it did not get too wet, but it did not get fluffy. The leaf mold was finished in 100 days. Last year, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and added water to make leaf mold. It did not contain soil, and the amount of water was just right, so it became fluffy. The leaf mold was completed in 90 days. The speaker thinks this method is the best. This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year.
Bag Preparation
To prepare the leaf mold, the first step is to collect fallen leaves and leave them for about a week until they die. After a week, most of the leaves will have died and are ready to be used. The water used to rinse rice in Japan is used to make leaf mold. Rinse the rice 2-3 times and then put the leaves in a double plastic bag. Cut the edges of the plastic bag so that the water can come out, and cut the inner plastic bag as well. Cut the other end of the plastic bag in the same way.
Next, put the water used to rinse the rice in the plastic bag and add regular water. Stir the mixture so that all the leaves become moist, then tie the plastic bag and place it in the sun. A week later, stir it every week and tie the bag again before placing it in the sun. If it rains, the plastic bag will get wet, but that’s okay. Stir the leaves on the surface of the plastic bag, as they are easy to dry.
After a month and a half, the leaves will start to lose their shape. The fermentation process progresses when it is sunny. However, if there is too much moisture, the leaves will rot, so be careful. If there is rice bran, it will absorb the moisture, but if not, dry the leaves in the sun. When the bag is untied, the excess moisture will disappear, and the leaf mold will become fluffy.
The leaf mold is almost finished at this point. It is important to note that if the leaf mold goes bad, it will smell bad. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that there is not too much moisture. The year before last, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and soil and added water to make leaf mold. There is soil in it, so it doesn’t get too wet, but it didn’t get fluffy. So the speaker sifted the leaf mold. The leaf mold was finished in 100 days.
Last year, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and added water to make leaf mold. It doesn’t contain soil. The amount of water was just right, and it became fluffy. The leaf mold was completed in 90 days. The speaker believes that this method is the best. This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year.
Combining Ingredients
To make leaf mold, the speaker collects fallen leaves and leaves them for about a week until they die. After a week, most of the leaves are dead. Then, the speaker uses the water that is used to rinse the rice to make leaf mold. The rice is rinsed 2-3 times, and the water used for rinsing is collected. The leaves are put in a double plastic bag, and the edge of the plastic bag is cut so that the water can come out. The inner plastic bag is also cut in the same way, and the water that is used to rinse the rice is added to the bag. Regular water can also be added. The leaves are stirred so that all the leaves become moist, and the plastic bag is tied. The bag is then placed in the sun and stirred every week. If it rains, the plastic bag will get wet, but it’s okay. The leaves on the surface of the plastic bag are easy to dry.
After a week, the speaker ties the bag again and places it in the sun. Fermentation proceeds when it is sunny. The leaves are starting to lose shape after a month and a half. Probably because of the large amount of moisture, the fermentation progressed considerably in 2 months. However, if there is too much moisture, it will rot, so one must be careful. If there is rice bran, it will absorb the moisture, but the speaker did not put rice bran this time, so the mold will be dried in the sun.
The leaf mold is almost finished, and the speaker leaves the bag untied to allow excess moisture to disappear and it becomes fluffy. The leaf mold is finished.
The speaker has tried different methods to make leaf mold in the past. The year before last, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and soil and added water to make leaf mold. There is soil in it, so it doesn’t get too wet, but it didn’t get fluffy. So the speaker sifted the leaf mold, and it was finished in 100 days. Last year, the speaker covered leaves with rice bran and added water to make leaf mold. It doesn’t contain soil. The amount of water was just right, and it became fluffy. The leaf mold was completed in 90 days. The speaker thinks this method is the best. This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year.
From left to right, the speaker’s leaf mold from the year before last, last year, and this year are displayed.
Fermentation Process
To make leaf mold, fallen leaves are collected and left for about a week until they die. After a week, most of the leaves have died. The water used to rinse rice in Japan is then used to make leaf mold. The rice is rinsed 2-3 times and the leaves are put in a double plastic bag. The edge of the plastic bag is cut so that the water comes out, and the inner plastic bag is also cut. The water used to rinse the rice is put in the plastic bag, and regular water can also be added. The bag is then stirred so that all the leaves become moist and tied. It is then placed in the sun and stirred every week. If it rains, the plastic bag will get wet, but it is okay. The leaves on the surface of the plastic bag are easy to dry. After a month and a half, the leaves start to lose shape, probably because of the large amount of moisture. However, if there is too much moisture, it will rot, so be careful. If there is rice bran, it will absorb the moisture, but this time there is no rice bran, so it will be dried in the sun. The excess moisture disappears when the bag is left untied, and it becomes fluffy. The leaf mold is finished, and it can be transported safely.
In previous years, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and soil and added water to make leaf mold. The leaf mold was finished in 100 days, but it didn’t get fluffy. So the speaker sifted the leaf mold. Last year, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and added water to make leaf mold. The amount of water was just right, and it became fluffy. The leaf mold was completed in 90 days. This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year.
Moisture Management
The process of creating leaf mold involves managing moisture levels to ensure proper fermentation. Too much moisture can cause the leaves to rot, while too little can slow down the fermentation process.
To create leaf mold, fallen leaves are collected and left to die for about a week. Afterward, the leaves are placed in a double plastic bag, and water from rinsing rice is added along with regular water to moisten the leaves. The bag is then tied and placed in the sun.
The bag is stirred every week, and if it rains, the bag is still stirred. After about a month and a half, the leaves start to lose shape, indicating that the fermentation process is progressing. However, if there is too much moisture, the leaves can rot.
To avoid excess moisture, the speaker suggests using rice bran, which absorbs moisture, but this is not always necessary. After the fermentation process is complete, the excess moisture in the leaf mold can be removed by leaving the bag untied, resulting in a fluffy finished product.
The speaker has experimented with different methods for creating leaf mold, including adding soil and rice bran to the leaves, but has found that simply adding water is the best method. The amount of water added should be just right to ensure a fluffy finished product.
Leaf Mold Completion
To make leaf mold, it is important to collect fallen leaves and leave them for about a week until they die. After a week, most of the leaves will have died. In Japan, the water used to rinse rice is used to make leaf mold. To do this, the rice should be rinsed 2-3 times. The leaves are then placed in a double plastic bag and the edges of the bag are cut to allow water to come out. The water used to rinse the rice is added to the bag, along with regular water, and stirred to moisten all the leaves. The bag is then tied and placed in the sun.
After a week, the bag should be stirred and retied before being placed in the sun again. If it rains, the plastic bag will get wet, but this is not a problem. The leaves on the surface of the bag are easy to dry. When the leaves are dried, they should be placed inside the bag and squeezed to remove excess water. A hole should be made in the bottom of the bag to allow fermentation to proceed when it is sunny.
After a month and a half, the leaves will start to lose shape, indicating that the fermentation process has progressed considerably. However, if there is too much moisture, the leaves may rot, so it is important to be careful. If rice bran is available, it can be added to absorb moisture. When the leaf mold is almost finished, the bag can be left untied to allow excess moisture to disappear and the mold to become fluffy.
Different methods can be used to make leaf mold. In a previous year, the leaves were covered with rice bran and soil and water was added to make the mold. Although soil prevented the mold from getting too wet, it did not become fluffy and had to be sifted. The mold was finished in 100 days. In another year, the leaves were covered with rice bran and water was added. This method did not use soil and the mold was completed in 90 days, becoming fluffy as desired.
This year, the leaf mold was completed in 69 days, but it has a lot of moisture and is not as fluffy as last year’s mold. Overall, the best method seems to be the one without soil, using rice bran and water. It is important to note that leaf mold can have a bad smell if it goes bad, so it is important to monitor it carefully during the process.
Comparison of Different Methods
The video explains different methods of making leaf mold, which is a soil amendment made from decomposed leaves. The speaker has tried various methods over the years and shares his experience of making leaf mold.
The first method involves using fallen leaves and rinsing water from rice. The leaves are left to die for a week, and then put in a double plastic bag. The rinsing water from rice is added to the bag, along with regular water, and stirred to moisten all the leaves. The bag is tied and placed in the sun, and stirred every week. After a month and a half, the leaf mold is almost finished. This method takes about two months to complete, but the speaker warns that too much moisture can cause the leaves to rot.
The second method involves covering the leaves with rice bran and soil and adding water to make leaf mold. The speaker tried this method the year before last, but found that it didn’t get fluffy. The leaf mold was finished in 100 days. Last year, the speaker covered the leaves with rice bran and added water, but didn’t use soil. The leaf mold was completed in 90 days and was fluffy. The speaker considers this method to be the best.
This year, the speaker used the same method as last year, but the leaf mold was completed in 69 days and had a lot of moisture, making it less fluffy than last year’s leaf mold. The speaker suggests that the amount of water used should be just right to achieve fluffy leaf mold.
In summary, the second method of using rice bran and water without soil is considered the best by the speaker. The first method of using rinsing water from rice and regular water is also effective but requires careful attention to moisture levels.