Saving compost

[caroline7758]

Other than polystyrene, can anyone suggest what I can use in the bottom of a tall pot to save compost?

[caroline7758]

[Tee Gee]

I never throw used seed or potting compost away providing it has not been contaminated.

I still have my old dustbins I had prior to wheelie bins so I store my used compost in these.

I also riddle my home made compost and often mix both the old and home made compost together.

The end result goes in the bottom third of my pot / planter and is topped off with new.

I always think in terms of the top layer containing fertiliser and feeds the young plants and the water roots search for moisture in the humus rich compost at the base of the container.

[caroline7758]

Thanks, TG- don't know why I didn't think of using some compost from my dalek, although i was thinking also about making the pot lighter to move around, hence the polystyrene, except i haven't got any polystyrene at the moment.

[johhnyco15]

you could always turn a smaller pot upside down in the the bigger pot to make a void if you put a bag over the pot so roots cant get it it cuts the compost down by a fair bit hope this helps

[Digeroo]

If you put something light at the bottom of the pot, will it make it top heavy so it falls over?

[galina]

Large collected stones.  Round here we have a lot of flint stones by the edges of fields that could be collected.  Presumably on shingle beaches a few fist sized stones could be found too. 

Are there any restrictions to picking up stones?  Maybe not from national parks?  They sell all sorts of decorative stones which could be used but that comes at a cost and defeats the object in this case.

[caroline7758]

If you put something light at the bottom of the pot, will it make it top heavy so it falls over?

Never had this problem when using polystyrene. I like the idea of an upside down pot.

[Paulines7]

I always put polystyrene in my large pots and they never fall over.  You should be able to pick up some spare polystyrene boxes from your local market or from a pub that serves food, Caroline.

[brownthumb2]

 I've read some where they used old plastic milk bottles  veg or fruit trays from super markets  also old broken seed trays  any thing similar to help water drainage   Never tried it myself yet 

[Vinlander]

Real 100% woollens, though rare these days are an excellent very slow fertiliser and resist waterlogging the same way they did when worn. They can be washed or microwaved to kill the moths that have probably made them disposable, but moths like dry protein - they evolved in bird nests.

An old sweater under a blackcurrant bush was always regarded as the best start you could give it until acrylic and its blends became the norm.

NB. ordinary modern dyes are no problem - they are relatively reactive and are the first thing to rot. Wool carpets on hessian would be good but those are all very old - so they will be carrying lead contaminated dust from the decades of leaded petrol.

Cheers.

[davee65uk]

What about shredded paper that's gone through a shredder ? It would hold water quite well. I mix this in with my compost and worms seem to love and live in any paper layers so it can't be all bad.

[Vinlander]

Tiny bits of paper distributed in compost do no harm (though enough of them might steal nitrogen).

If they have any chance of clumping, especially in the bottom of a pot you get a papier mache plug - which is near as dammit waterproof for months- could turn your pot into a pond...

Cheers.

PS. papier mache is exactly the kind of thing you do want on top of your beds as a sheet mulch - better than plastic because in sunshine plastic doesn't last much longer, and it turns into dust and shredded flakes that will still be looking awful after you've passed beyond seeing them.

Shreddings under ripening strawberries are a cushion that turns into a sheet mulch for the rest of the year.

[antipodes]

PS. papier mache is exactly the kind of thing you do want on top of your beds as a sheet mulch - better than plastic because in sunshine plastic doesn't last much longer, and it turns into dust and shredded flakes that will still be looking awful after you've passed beyond seeing them.

Shreddings under ripening strawberries are a cushion that turns into a sheet mulch for the rest of the year.

I second that. One year I brought loads of shredded paper from work and mulched the fruit bushes with it. Looked a bit funny as it was white but it took a while to rot down and was a really effective weed barrier.