leaf mold

or leafmold

noun

1. a compost or layer of soil consisting chiefly of decayed vegetable matter, especially leaves.

Word History and Origins

Origin of leaf mold¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

I like to use purchased composted leaf mold and aged manure, which, in my experience, are reliably free of weed seeds.

From Washington Post

An annual top dressing of compost or leaf mold will help keep a redbud happy.

From Washington Post

When he reached the woods along the creek he ran, keeping as much as possible on thick leaf mold that left the least impression.

From Project Gutenberg

Prepare the earth by mixing some well decayed leaf-mold with rich garden loam, thereby making an earth which will retain moisture.

From Project Gutenberg

All succeed well in loam and sand in equal parts, adding a little leaf-mold in the case of the small varieties.

From Project Gutenberg

Cyclamens may be grown from seed sown in April or September in soil containing a large proportion of sand and leaf-mold.

From Project Gutenberg

It was half-buried in the leaf-mold and moss, though the rain of the previous night had washed it free in one corner.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fertilizer