Topic: Can I compost Privet and ivy clippings

[moudie]

I've got a lot of Privet and ivy clippings and I'm reluctant to throw them away.can I compost them, also can I compost rhubarb leaves. :-\

[redimp]

Privet - don't know
Ivy - I don't and I compost everything else.*
Rhubarb - yes

*including dead small animals

[Curryandchips]

Privet - yes. Ivy - don;t know.

The underlying principle is to compost everything in moderation, so all the ingredients get well mixed.

[Georgie]

I compost Ivy, no problems.

G x

[Mimi]

When ever I have tried to compost ivy I always end up digging out bits that have rooted again.  So I dont bother anymore.

[moudie]

Thanks for your replies - upon reflection I think I'll dump it.There's just so much  it would swamp my wee compost heap.

Thanks all

[Robert_Brenchley]

You can compost anything if you leave it long enough. If I find something still alive, it just goes back in for another year.

[pompeydude]

I'm sure i read somewhere, that you can put  bindweed, and tap rooted weeds into water, let them rot down, then put them on the heap,   you can then use the water as a liquid fertilizer.
anyone know if this is the case ??  as i would love to set up a tub of water for all the weeds.

 ??? ??? ??? ???

[Robert_Brenchley]

Yes, it works well.

[pompeydude]

Hi Robert,
thanks for the reply.
what sort of time scales are we looking at before they can go on the heap and when can you use the fertilizer ???

[redimp]

I have been doing this recently and using it on my potatoes as the tea contains bacteria that will hopefully fight blight spores.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Leave the weeds undewater for a few weeks, weighed down by something. They'll be well dead (even a few days underwater kills a lot of things, as I found when I had a series of floods in my first year on the plot). You can use the tea on your veg.