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Author Topic: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?  (Read 3301 times)

Alan_b

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Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« on: March 28, 2017, 09:20:21 AM »
I have taken to making my own leaf mould but what I end up with is still quite coarse with some leaves and the central spine of the leaf still intact even after two years.  So I am wondering if there is something I can use to chop it up more finely?  I have a shredder with a 'corskscrew' blade which is fine for small branches but this material would pass straight through that.  What I would like is something that chops more finely with a wide and low entry point that can be loaded by the spade full.  I suppose it might need to incorporate a sieve to ensure that anything too large for the cutters does not get in.  Does such a thing exist or have I just invented a new garden implement?   
Almost in Scotland.


Darren

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Re: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« Reply #2 on: March 28, 2017, 10:45:42 AM »
What you need is a big version of the Fritsch mills we use for preparing soil and veg samples for lab analysis. It won't be cheap though....

http://www.fritsch-international.com/sample-preparation/milling/cutting-mills/
Darren Sleep. Nr Lancaster UK.

Alan_b

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Re: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« Reply #3 on: March 28, 2017, 11:46:49 AM »
Would this sort of thing help?

Thank you, Palustris; I had already discovered and ordered one of those between posing my question and reading your reply - so I will know in due course whether it helps.  But long narrow objects like the spine of a leaf will pass through a sieve so ideally I still need something that will chop them up.  The cutting mill suggested by Darren might do that job but I need a cheaper and more cheerful equivalent.
Almost in Scotland.

Palustris

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Re: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2017, 12:13:27 PM »
Our daughter used one of those machines to which I linked. The compost she created was as good and fine as anything I have seen. Much of the start material was leaf mould like yours and it did seem to break up the ribs.

Alan_b

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Re: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2017, 12:21:28 PM »
I purchased exactly the same rotary sieve suggested by Palustris (it has gone up in price since).  I put it to first use last weekend and it really did produce the most wonderful fine compost from starting material with lots of coarser bits.  I am very pleased with it.  After a while, I worked out that I could use two stout canes to position the sieve over a spare plastic dustbin, just above the top.  This caused the sieved material to fall into the bin and meant that I could fill the bin to capacity.  It doesn't require huge physical strength to turn the handle but the continued effort gets a little tiring so I would not want to fill more than one bin a day.       
Almost in Scotland.

Palustris

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Re: Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2017, 02:18:08 PM »
Very pleased it worked for you. Price of these things always seems to be rather flexible.
Better exercise than a treadmill!

 


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