Topic: Weeds in compost

[Emagggie]

Yes or no. I was always of the impression that it was a no-no. Just spreading more weed seeds. Any opinions gratefully received.

[Flighty]

An long-time allotmenteer on my site puts almost everything on his, has no problems doing so and grows the best vegetables on the site!
I'm doing the same and will find out next year!

[manicscousers]

we drown pernicious ones, all the annuals go on but we do try to stop them flowering  :)

[saddad]

Most of ours go on... the worst weeds we get are tomatoes and squash whose seeds seem composting proof!!  :)

[Mr Smith]

I slipped up when I put  the compost in my raised beds from last year I started to get little spuds coming through, :)

[cornykev]

I don't put spud peelings or large roots in mine.  ;D ;D ;D

[Digeroo]

I don't put perennial weeds in: dandelion, bindweed, nettles dock briony.  Send them for recycling. But all the annuals go straght in.  Even if they begin to germinate they are easy to hoe off. 

[Emagggie]

One of our worst offenders is the dreaded horsetail. If I could burn it I would. At the mo it's in my compost which my man says he will bag up and take to the tip.I wonder where it will go from there....will it mulch down to nothing ( in which case I could leave it there) or will it spread and take over the world?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Drown it and make fungicidal tea.

[BrianK]

There are compost advancers that make the biology in heaps work faster.  This helps break down even perrenials.  

I have seen both organic and chemical versions.  Comfrey juice poured all over a heap will promote the breakdown

If in doubt leave it out.

Good motto

[tonybloke]

totally dry out (dock) drown ( couch ) then compost everything. if it grew on my plot, it goes back. all peelings and trimmings, etc. compost the lot. ;)

[GodfreyRob]

If buried deep enough in a compost heap most roots will expire. However, you want to avoid adding seeds as much as possible as these can survive a lot of rough treatment. I would not put in weeds with anything that looks like seeds about to be formed - like heads of docks for example.

[cornykev]

Use the nettles for a feed, or put them straight in the compost minus the roots, yes I forgot about marestail, how could I do that,  ??? anyway I bag that up and pop it in the rubbish bin as I walk back across the park.        ;D ;D ;D

[Bjerreby]

In my view it depends on whether the heap is a hot one or cold. I wouldn't put weeds in a cold heap, but I don't have problems with weeds after they have been in a hot compost heap.

[Eristic]

How is it possible to have a cold compost heap? This does not compute.

[mummybunny]

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/compost_pf.php


Scroll down to the bottom it explaines cold and hot heaps i didnt understand either :)


Lucy

[cleo]

Everything apart from couch roots and bindweed roots go into my bins and yes there is some growth but as said-easy enough to hoe of.

A cold bin??-I think I understand that. The bin I have `maturing` now will be emptied around October by which time the other one will be ready to cover until the following spring. So the bin I empty in October will only get filled slowlyand the weather will be colder-hence it will be a slow,cold composting-

[cleo]

Mummybunny

I`ve just seen the link

The `hot` method is where you turn everything back over a couple of times-and yes it does hasten the process. The `cool` method is where you just fill the bin and wait a bit longer.

I used to do the former but the bins here are not small and I`m now in my mid 50`s-I need all the energy I have to just garden :)

[Bjerreby]

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/compost_pf.php


Scroll down to the bottom it explaines cold and hot heaps i didnt understand either :)


Lucy

Well done Lucy. I used to have cold heaps until I discovered how to make hot ones. I wouldn't dream of having a cold heap ever again.

Hot means hot! At its highest the temperature exceeds  60 degrees C inside. In my last heap I had about 60% clover, and it became so hot you could almost burn your fingers on it. I am told the temperature makes any seeds unviable, so it is safe to put weeds in. It takes between one and two months for a hot heap to completely rot down, by which time the compost is ready to be spread out.  I'd say a cold heap takes at least a year to reach the same stage.

[Bjerreby]

Mummybunny

I`ve just seen the link

The `hot` method is where you turn everything back over a couple of times-and yes it does hasten the process. The `cool` method is where you just fill the bin and wait a bit longer.

I used to do the former but the bins here are not small and I`m now in my mid 50`s-I need all the energy I have to just garden :)

I find the trick with hot heaps is to get at least 70% fresh green material, and the heap has to be built in one go. Don't try to pile it up over the course of a few weeks, hold a "heap building day".

Another thing about hot heaps is they need to be big, and only just moist. I cover mine with a sheet of plastic to keep heat and mositure in, and rain out. As the heap shrinks it gets wetter and wetter inside.