My New patch in Clunes

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by brad_kl, Sep 27, 2012.

  1. brad_kl

    brad_kl Junior Member

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    Just moved back to Northern NSW to the lovely little town of Clunes. Only been 2 weeks and we couldn't be happier.

    First proper house i've lived in since moving out of home which gives me actually a front and back yard and i'm busting at the seams to do so much. Compost, raised beds, aquaponics, recycled herb planters outside the kitchen.

    Focus, focus, must focus.

    So my challenge at the moment comes in the form of Camphor Laurel.

    Big tree in the front yard (north east corner of the block) which keeps the house cool but produces alot of leaves. Now i'm sure i can't compost them or make leaf mould or use them to create no-dig raised beds which makes it hard. At the moment, i'm raking them up and mulching the bed around the tree.

    Has anyone ever heard of a special compost recipe that could deal with Camphor leaves? Is there anything else i can do with them?

    The other trouble in the front yard is that the ground seems very hard and cracked in some places. There is grass ground cover but in places it's a bit patchy. Could i just spread manure to add some organic material and soften the soil or am i just competing with the big Camphor that shades the whole front yard?
     
  2. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    I'd be taking a long hard look at whether the camphor laurel deserves a place in your garden.... Going through the formal process of doing a permaculture design for your place will help to clarify the issue for you. A deciduous tree to replace it will give you winter shade but summer sun on the house.

    I have one on the north west corner of my place - but it's in the neighbours yard so I'm stick with it. I get lots of seedlings popping up all over the garden each year from it. I leave the leaves where they fall to rot down, but then I don't have a lawn or garden bed under it to compete with it. They are organic and will break down eventually in compost just like everything else. (You are talking with someone who tosses bones in the compost pile though - my definition of eventually is probably longer than others.) You could bag them and leave them to rot for a while before tossing them in the compost.
     
  3. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    You want to keep it?

    Anecdotally, the Camphor is renowned for being a poor environmental tree, good for its growth and timber. Quite allelopathic, the googling should reflect that. There is a reason why it dominates riparian areas.

    Hot composting the leaf litter should be fine, I'd (personally) ringbark and replace it with a handsome nitrogen-fixer in its place. Also, leaf mould once the oils have departed, would be okay.

    Depends on the tree, really. If it's an impressive specimen, I'd keep it, if it's replaceable, I'd kill it and move on. It really does monoculture areas it gets into.


    Look at this link, for example. Bill Mollison mentions Casuarina cunninghamia as a positive Permaculture tree, Camphor can replace it negatively.
     
  4. brad_kl

    brad_kl Junior Member

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    Unfortunately getting rid of it isn't really an option at the moment. It's a rental place and we've only just moved in. I don't know that the owner would be keen to spend a good amount of money getting it removed (it's fairly big)

    So for the moment, I'm trying to work with it.
     
  5. brad_kl

    brad_kl Junior Member

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    Any one got any further ideas with what to do with the camphor leaves?
     
  6. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Not the most popular of trees
    https://www.camphorlaurel.com/57reasons.html
    I think they are beautiful trees, even the flowers are fragrant
    In a few Council areas they are a declared noxious weed and must be removed, check this.(Most don't as it would cost them too much money) In NSW they are a C1 Class 1 - State Prohibited Weed. Class 1 weeds are also notifiable weeds.
    https://www.weeds.org.au/noxious.htm
    i had a wood turning friend who loved making stuff from the timber But this says even some wood turners have problems with it:-
    https://www.camphorlaurel.com/humantox.html
     
  7. brad_kl

    brad_kl Junior Member

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    Has anyone actually ever tried to compost camphor leaves?

    I would think the allelopathic nature of them would make them no good. I don't want to spoil my compost because i love the stuff but I just find it hard not being able to use something i have an abundance of.
     
  8. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    I've used them in compost and can't say I've noticed any problems. Of course, they were only a minor component. If you really want to avoid using them, just pile them up in an unused corner and let them rot away quietly.
     

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