Compost grow bag

[NatalieS]

In late November I pruned all the plants on my little balcony. The fuchsia, lavender, and mint had gone mad, but were being attacked by greenfly, so I cut them right down and threw all the leaves and branches into a black bin bag and tied it tightly. I thought maybe I'd get some compost or leaf humus out of it so I left the bag in a dark corner of the balcony.

Today I decided to cut down what was left of my tulips and crocus and I opened the bag to throw the bits in. The leaves had composted very nicely, but to my surprise, there were still green leaves in it - fuchsia leaves. They had rooted and were growing! If it had been a clear bag I might not have been so surprised, but in a black bag, in a dark corner? I've never seen cuttings do that before.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting. In the absence of light, why would the leaves still be green? And before the rest of the leaves composted, how would they have gotten nutrients?