Bracken based ericaceuos compost

Does anyone make their own eric compost?

As far as I know or have read so far you can either have peat or bracken based, peat is not too enviro friendly so I am keen to make my own bracken based compost. I can literally fill the car up for free at the end of autumn as I live so close to the cumbrian fells and its bracken...but what else should I add to the mix?

Steve...

 

Steve, Bracken spores are carcenogenic, so I would leave well alone.:gnthb:

 

Thanks for the warning Dai, I'll steer clear.

Does anyone have any idea how I can make my own Ericaceous compost?

Steve...

 

I don`t know if you can without using peat. You could try using "leaf " mold from a conifer plantation.:gnthb:

 

I seem to remember somewhere that compost, ie. dead plant material, needs the addition of lime if it is to break down properly.
If that is the case, I'm not sure you can actually produce an acidic compost.

Any leaf mould, I think, would be acidic, but it takes ages to rot down.

Slightly on the acid side perhaps.

If your trying to make acidic potting compost, you 're probably better trying to make a loam based one using acidic loam and composted bark perhaps

 

Sedge and Moss peats are acidic, without the benefit of lime. Also, "leafmold " from a conifer plantation would be acidic without the use of lime, and being leafmold it would already be broken down.:gnthb:

 

Yes Dai but I thought we were looking to make acidic compost, not collect it.