Hi, Ive got a good supply of bamboo leaves, any good uses for them? they look like they will be a nice top layer leaf mulch as they seem to take longer to decompose compared with other plants. any ideas ?
Compost, chicken bedding or deep litter coops, any straw/sugar cane mulch replacement, addition to worm farms (in small amounts), lasagne beds, on top of newspaper and then branches on top of the leaves for grass-killing, covering or addition to any anaerobic wet areas. You may find, and I did, that addition of bamboo mulch to droopy, sadder-looking trees will strengthen and turn the newer growing tips upright..apparently the silica is responsible. I don't think the decompose slower than other leaves, it's usually as there are just so much more of them. Worms love them so mulching any tree/plant is nothing but benefits.
I use them for bedding in my goose pen at night. A big rubbish bins worth every few days under six birds is absorbing all the manure nicely. Once it is composted down a bit I will use it on my veggie garden. I'll try it with my chickens as well soon, though I think tougher, longer grass might be a better choice for them to slow down their scratching.
If you have any grazing animals they make good fodder particularly at lean times of the year eg end of summer when all the other grasses have been grazed down
Good to know ... for the future though .. I have access to a 7m x 5m back UK garden, that's it could be worse I guess
there is a paper posted here somewhere in our forums about it used as forage for animals, and very good forage at that according to a farm near to me.
Great in the chook pen as deep litter ,the silicates control scaly leg mites, and then with a little added chook poo it becomes great mulch for the vegie beds
