Right now, I have an abundance - nay, PILES - of oak pollen "flowers". My red oak and my live oaks are showering the place with drifts of those powdery little things. Are these all right to put in the compost piles in the bulk they fall in?

Nothing better for the compost.

Just an update here on oak "flowers" in the compost pile...it acted like a compost "firecracker"! I put piles of the oak pollen flowers in the compost piles...about a week ago, and my "slow rot" pile was steaming this morning...and the "hot" compost bin was working double time! This was a better compost starter than even dried molasses for me! And the wonderful thing is this - I got it for free, and my neighbors were happy to keep me supplied...so I now have happy, cooking compost..

WOO HOO! Just the motivation I needed to clean up!

I'll second drchelo's experience with red oak flowers for the compost. I've got not only my 3 red oaks' worth of this stuff, but all of it that blows into my yard from two neighbors across the street. Mow it into a bag (or rake it up), mix it into your piles, water it in a bit and the next day you'll be cooking. It's accelerating the break down of all of the oak leaves I've accumulated from my neighborhood at least as well as liquid molasses or fresh grass clippings ever does.

~Dave

Another useful thing about this stuff is that it's created a nice looking thin, even mulch layer between the stepping stones in my backyard pathway as well as on top of the mulch beds surrounding the trees themselves. Great stuff!

~Dave