compost and eucalyptus leaves

[John85]

I wonder if somebody has any experience with making compost with eucalyptus leaves.I guess some Australian members certainly have.
Are there problems with any substances that could inhibit growth like there are for instance with leaves of Juglans?

[Neil J]

I have no scientific knowledge of this field. However, I am aware of scientific debate on this subject over some 30 years. It would appear that Eucalypts have the ability to inhibit growth of some other plants by way of negative allelopathy. To what extent this persists in harvested material I am quite unsure.

Having used Eucalyptus mulch (containing wood chips & leaves), many times over the years, I have never observed any detrimental effects beyond an occasional, short-term, iron deficiency. Overall, the use of this mulch has been quite beneficial, & I continue to use it with some caution.

As it contains quantities of oil and is a hardwood, it breaks down very slowly by comparison to softwood mulches, & can harbour snails.

Hope this helps.

[Lesley Cox]

It's true that the leaves seem to take forever to break down and become compost. We had some Euc. nitens in previous garden and I used to remove them so far as possible from my piles of compost and potting mix. And if they accumulate over pots or any bit of garden for a few months they form an impenetrable barrier to rain or watering, keeping the plant underneath absolutely bone dry.