• Home
  • |
  • Blog
  • |
  • Composting Palm Fronds – Australian Gardening Guide

Composting Palm Fronds – Australian Gardening Guide

The toughest materials to compost are by far; palm fronds and strappy foliage plants. Their innate fabric always proves to be tougher than the bacteria and bugs that do the decomposing.

And months later, when everything else has become unrecognisable, palm fronds and grass foliage remnants look like they’ve only just hit the compost heap. Even trying to mulch them through a chipper shredder proves equally futile so read on and find out different ways how to compost palm fronds.  

More...

Different Ways to Compost Palm Fronds

The strands that make palm fronds up will usually wrap around the blade forcing the motor to seize and making you spend hours trying to unravel it again. Strappy foliage from plants such as cordylines, agapanthus and other native grasses can be even worse and often most gardeners will resort to just binning the waste. However, there is a way to compost this seemingly indestructible garden refuse. 

Composting Palm Fronds

Letting Palm Fronds Dry Out then Shredding

The first method is to let it dry out first. This may take some time but the palm fronds and strappy foliage need to be left until they are dry and brittle. Once this has been achieved then shredding them is a cinch – they will begin to break down like any other organic material after this point.

Chopping Palm Fronds and Covering with Compost Tea

The second option is to chop the palm fronds by hand and then place them in a container, covering them with compost tea. This will break the items down individually and within a few weeks.

From there, they can be transferred back into the compost heap where they will continue their decomposition in a similar time frame to the rest of the materials.

Bury in Soil with Non-Composted Manure as Cover

A third option is to dig a hole large enough to hold the palm fronds (cutting them in half or thirds prior is a help) and then covering with a non-composted manure – chicken or cow manure are best. Replace the soil over these and they shall break down within a few months.

So, as you can see, composting palm fronds and strappy foliage plants isn’t impossible but it does require a little more effort.

Related Posts

Sprinkle bokashi bran over food scraps in bokashi bin

Bokashi Composting: Beginner’s Guide Australia

Have you always wanted to try bokashi composting but never ...

Best Kitchen Compost Bin in Australia

8 Best Kitchen Compost Bins and Compost Grinders in Australia

Your kitchen waste is gold in the garden and adds ...

Composting with Labels

Composting: What It Is and Its Benefits

For me, composting requires no apologetics. Ever since I began ...

What are Worm Castings

Worm Castings: How to Make and Use

Forget your Scotts and Bayer chemical fertilisers it’s time to ...

Author:

Nathan Schwartz

Leave a Reply


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Stay Up To Date With Aussie Gardening Tips


Join our newsletter to receive helpful gardening tips specific to Australian gardens.

Featuring:

  • Seasonal gardening tips
  • Monthly gardening tasks for each Australian climate
  • Native plant of the month
  • A curated selection of helpful gardening articles
  • Exclusive promotions for Australian gardeners

Stay in the loop for valuable insights for a flourishing garden.

We promise to only send you helpful gardening emails and nothing more.