[mikem]

I haven't bought a shredder yet - all suggestions welcome but I would prefer to buy something bigger than the normal ones bought in say Homebase/Focus for about £100.

The other reason for writing is to ask that if I shred the prunings from my laurel will they compost down in say 12/24 months.  I am concerned that whilst everything will compost given time the leaves may take ages.  Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[Gwiz]

laurel is pretty indestructible isn't it? :blink:
It will rot down quicker if shredded up, but it will take longer than the usual "stuff"
water, turning and an activator of some kind will help......

[dorimower]

A word of caution....best research the Cyanide element of Cherry Laurel....

 I found this in a quick search I did just now..
 http://www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/issues/2008July/ExhibitionChemistry.asp

I learnt this when we rotary mowered some prunings of it...the smell was not good.!!....we have not done it since.!!

"Dori"

[mikem]

Laurel hasn't got much going for it!  It should be pruned by hand, it doesn't compost down very well and now it gives off cyanide!

Whilst I am still looking for any advice re a good shredder I think that the laurel will go in my garden recycling bin!  Thanks to both of you for your advice.

[Paul Plots]

I think if you have a big compost heap / bin and a small amount of laurel (plus a shredder) you'll not have too much bother adding just a small %.

We have added to our compost in the past once it is shredded - no ill effects but the resulting compost has been for flower beds not veg plot.

[dorimower]

My concern was for during the shredding process...as when we rotary mowered it to mince it up that is when we were open to the acrid stench..which we could really feel getting hold of our throats...hence we did not repeat the mincing exercise for the Laurel.
 
To explain further we have a perimeter hedge that is predominantly Beech but has a short section of Cherry Laurel..both cut with electric hedgetrimmer...at one time Tarpen then Little Wonder, Freund Victoria, Viking..and soon Metabo.  For the trimmings that fall on the rough mown grass alongside in outlying areas we have used the Dori720 29"rotary mower to mince them up to allow them to compost away in situ....we do rake up in the more formal areas and this also includes the Laurel...sometimes this has gone to the bonfire heap to be burnt up once dried a while...or often mixed with the larger quantity of Beech and taken un-shredded to the large compost heap..

"Dori"

[Salmo]

A word of caution....best research the Cyanide element of Cherry Laurel....

 I found this in a quick search I did just now..
 http://www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/issues/2008July/ExhibitionChemistry.asp

I learnt this when we rotary mowered some prunings of it...the smell was not good.!!....we have not done it since.!!

"Dori"

Butterfly collectors used to use laurel leaves to kill their specimens before pinning them to a board. Laurel leaves were common and it was easy to carry some so that the butterflies could be killed immediatly after catching them and would not be damaged.

[Paul Plots]

I guess we have a much smaller garden and only one Still) small laurel so the % of shreddings was really tiny comapred to all the other greenery.