Using mullein leaves as compost/fertilizer

Hi ellenr,


I'm doing a similar things with comfrey - which is tauted as having the same benefits. I've used it as mulch, mixed in with buried compost, or fall leaves, etc. it really disintegrates quickly and takes neighboring material with it.

One thing I've done is whip a few leaves with water up in the vitamix and water like that - it disappears right into the soil. I don't have any great memory of specific effects in controlled experiments, but it seems to have done no ill, and I know I plan to continue to do it.

There is a lot of info online about making comfrey tea over a period of weeks or months and then diluting and watering, etc.....ain't nobody got time for that! IMO

If using fall leaves or straw for mulch, what I would do with your mullein leaves is place them under the mulch. The worms and natural disintegration will get to them quick.

thanks all, very interesting.
you might also find this interesting - a response from my post to "Permies" (Permaculture)

You can compost the leaves of a one year old plant, I would snip off the outer leaves so that you do not inadvertently damage the growing center which will allow you to make multiple harvests of leaves.
compost in common manner(s) Hot compost or cold compost, cold compost will yield retention of more of the nutrients listed below (I would recommend composting these leaves by themselves, then add the resultant material to other compost prior to application)

This is a list of the chemicals and the quantity found in leaves. I have left out those which occur in negligible trace amounts (<10ppm)
You can compost the leaves of a one year old plant, I would snip off the outer leaves so that you do not inadvertently damage the growing center which will allow you to make multiple harvests of leaves.
compost in common manner(s) Hot compost or cold compost, cold compost will yield retention of more of the nutrients listed below (I would recommend composting these leaves by themselves, then add the resultant material to other compost prior to application)

This is a list of the chemicals and the quantity found in leaves. I have left out those which occur in negligible trace amounts (<10ppm)
I also left out chemicals and compounds found in other parts of Verbascum thapsus L.

ALUMINUM Leaf 1,090 ppm;
ASCORBIC-ACID Leaf 776 ppm;
ASH Leaf 86,000 ppm;
BETA-CAROTENE Leaf 43 ppm;
CALCIUM Leaf 13,300 ppm;
CARBOHYDRATES Leaf 803,000 ppm;
CHROMIUM Leaf 14 ppm;
COBALT Leaf 128 ppm;
FAT Leaf 13,000 ppm;
FIBER Leaf 111,000 ppm;
IRON Leaf 2,360 ppm
MAGNESIUM Leaf 3,230 ppm;
MANGANESE Leaf 120 ppm;
PHOSPHORUS Leaf 5,700 ppm;
POTASSIUM Leaf 13,200 ppm;
PROTEIN Leaf 108,000 ppm;
RIBOFLAVIN Leaf 1.1 ppm;
SILICON Leaf 74 ppm;
SODIUM Leaf 760 ppm;
TIN Leaf 12 ppm;
WATER Leaf 786,000 ppm;
ZINC Leaf 4 ppm;

=============
You can compost them green or dried, another way to use these leaves is to dry them then grind them and just sprinkle the powder like it was bone meal.
We are going to use this method for the squashes and tomatoes this year. I have somewhere around 17 plants that are 7 years old, every year they get bigger and I get more leaves from them.

I have, in the past, composted them in coffee cans. This method requires both dried and green leaves (for the heat up) chop coarsely and fill the container, pop on lid.
treat it like a tumbler composter. My last batch took about 3 weeks. You can also add in some spent coffee grounds in the middle along with the green leaves.
This way your browns (dried mullein leaves) and green leaves get a little nitrogen boost to kick start the heating.