Compost Discussion Thread (Merged Threads)

Solomon_Broad

If the roots were dead before you put them in, they should be fine, but this is very unlikely, especially if you just dug them out and chucked them on.

I'd be inclined to take them all out, leave them in the sun for a couple of weeks to dry them out and kill them, then put them back on. Or just chuck them in the green bin.

carly

they will probably be ok, but the roots will obviously take longer to breakdown than the softer parts of the plants. Make sure you remove any dead flowers though from weeds before composting as these can often contain weed seeds which can germinate at a later date.

bees_2

Thanks, I had an inkling I might have more work to do! My arms have recovered enough to start again now!

Can you help me with another question?
I weeded the whole area trying to get all the weeds from the route but I may have missed some. Do you think I should put some weedkiller down before putting my veg out? Or will it be enough to dig it up while adding compost and weeding as they come up?

I'm very new but my seeds are growing nicely in my greenhouse and I'm really enjoying it!

Penelope_Penguin

Depends how big your compost heap is. If it get's hot, this will kill all weeds, seeds, and pathogens.

However, if you're not sure (you don't want to get ground elder or mare's tail in there) you can put them into a plastic bin, cover in water, and after 6 months you can add the soilds to your compost, and have a dilutable liquid feed, too.

HTH, Penny. x

savemoney

I dont have a compost bin yet but for now I just put weeds in a cheap plastic bucket and leave it outside. I was planning to keep doing this for weeds even when I get the compost bin on order

bees_2

How do I get my compost hot? Is that just the heat from rotting? I've got one one those big black plastic ones and a metal one with a funnel type lid.

What are mare's tail and ground elder ? They sound like hardcore bad weeds!

I think I'm going to pick all the weeds out and dry them. If I just lay them out and leave them will that do it? Should I seperate the flower from the weed? Am I fussing?

renard_rouge

bees wrote: »

How do I get my compost hot? Is that just the heat from rotting? I've got one one those big black plastic ones and a metal one with a funnel type lid.

What are mare's tail and ground elder ? They sound like hardcore bad weeds!

I think I'm going to pick all the weeds out and dry them. If I just lay them out and leave them will that do it? Should I seperate the flower from the weed? Am I fussing?

Anything with flowers on or seed heads already developed it is best if they are not included in compost unless you can ensure high temperatures. There is a saying ONE YEAR'S SEED, SEVEN YEARS WEED. Believe you me that is very true. If you have a piece of ground freshly turned there will be at least weeds for seven years to remove if you do so thoroughly. This of course discounts what is blown in from neighbours and coming in with imported soil and plants. Think what adding more weed seeds would do.

Have heart though, as when there is good soil it is quite easy to dispose of really small weeds on the surface and there one has a good reason to sow in rows (easy crop identification).

Good luck. remember any plant in the wrong place is a weed, and nature is not perfect.

angie_loves_veg

bees wrote: »

a metal one with a funnel type lid.

What are mare's tail and ground elder ? They sound like hardcore bad weeds!

I think I'm going to pick all the weeds out and dry them. If I just lay them out and leave them will that do it? Should I seperate the flower from the weed? Am I fussing?

'a metal one with a funnel type lid' sounds suspiciously like an incinerator to me.....

which, if you want to burn your weeds, is of course another approach, adding the ash to the heap. (there has been much debate about burning recently - make your own decisions there..)

personally, I am in the 'leave the horrid weeds to dry out before adding them to the heap' brigade, but I like penelope p's suggestion to soak them in water to make a (probably very smelly) liquid feed before adding them to the heap!

renard_rouge

Further to last, when using collected and composted material, if a 1/4 inch sieve (8mm?) is used any WHITE material is fresh growing and should be excluded, furthermore any material which is not fine enough for your selected use can be either buried in a trench to further decompose or returned for another go in the bin. Tip... if the compost it too wet when ready to use leave out in open place ie wheelbarrow to dry a little first. It can Ball up if too wet and they needs to be gently crumbed by hand.

bees_2

This is great, everyone knows so much!
I was nervous about asking because it's probably all been said already but I haven't got the hang of search yet and my internet time is pretty limited. Thanks so much