🚀 go-pugleaf

"Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:CL5Wc.3287$D7.1943@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to
forget
> about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
> bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
> seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
> weed seeds. He now insists that only lawn grass clippings get placed into
> the compost bin.... well that's another story.

It is pointless unless the heat created by your compost reaches above 60
degs celsius as that is usually what's required to kill seeds.
As for grass clippings. Well they do heat up, but not all seeds in the
clippings will die.
Though there is no harm in having a bin purely for clippings then using them
as mulch when they are well rotted.

> In the ancient past I'd put the weeds into a concrete compost oven and
cook
> and bake the darn things - then use it. But we are not allowed to do that
> now - due to council by-laws.
>
> I thought of placing the weeds into a special big plastic tub in a far
> corner of the backyard- and then letting them soak in crappy water and
some
> manure for a month or so. Would that help to kill the weed seeds?

Nothing that's 100% certain. Just bag them up and throw them out. You may be
able to soak them in water and make weed juice, but careful to filter it
properly to avoid any seeds getting through.

Good luck
>
> Cheers,
>
> Crimson
>
>
> --
> _____________________________
> Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their
common
> sense.
> Gertrude Stein (1874 - 1946)
>
>

You said "only lawn clippings". Why not raw vegetable scraps? What
"council"? Condo?

"Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:CL5Wc.3287$D7.1943@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to
forget
> about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
> bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
> seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
> weed seeds. He now insists that only lawn grass clippings get placed into
> the compost bin.... well that's another story.
>
> In the ancient past I'd put the weeds into a concrete compost oven and
cook
> and bake the darn things - then use it. But we are not allowed to do that
> now - due to council by-laws.
>
> I thought of placing the weeds into a special big plastic tub in a far
> corner of the backyard- and then letting them soak in crappy water and
some
> manure for a month or so. Would that help to kill the weed seeds?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Crimson
>
>
> -- 
> _____________________________
> Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their
common
> sense.
> Gertrude Stein (1874 - 1946)
>
>

The compost is a closed black bin with a lid. Its in an area that gets full
sun but the earthworms hate it. I don't know about winter conditions but in
Summer the ordinary temperature reaches 40C - it should be considerably
hotter in the compost bin.

 As for bagging the seeds etc.. I don't intent to keep seeds but when you
place the copious amounts of weeds into the containers - it is simply too
hard to sieve their seeds out.

Anyhow, I'll place them into plastic containers and let them rot in them in
some obscure part of the garden for 3 months or so.... Otherwise, whenever I
am digging a deep trench or something deep - I'll throw them in where they
will prove to be of no use to anyone except the humble earthworm.

"Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:vXoWc.2076$w73.913@news01.roc.ny...
> You said "only lawn clippings". Why not raw vegetable scraps? What
> "council"? Condo?

Yes, I forgot to mention I also throw in raw vegetable scraps. The laws in
this land forbid open fires anywhere.

"Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:I3pWc.4346$D7.1792@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:vXoWc.2076$w73.913@news01.roc.ny...
> > You said "only lawn clippings". Why not raw vegetable scraps? What
> > "council"? Condo?
>
> Yes, I forgot to mention I also throw in raw vegetable scraps. The laws in
> this land forbid open fires anywhere.
>
>
Open fires??? What's that got to do with compost? :-)

Crimson Castle wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to forget
> about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
> bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
> seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
> weed seeds. He now insists that only lawn grass clippings get placed into
> the compost bin.... well that's another story.
> 
> In the ancient past I'd put the weeds into a concrete compost oven and cook
> and bake the darn things - then use it. But we are not allowed to do that
> now - due to council by-laws.
> 
> I thought of placing the weeds into a special big plastic tub in a far
> corner of the backyard- and then letting them soak in crappy water and some
> manure for a month or so. Would that help to kill the weed seeds?
> 
> Cheers,
> Crimson
> 


Toss the seedy weeds in the lawn and mulch them up with the lawn mower. 
  Garden weeds don't compete very well with healthy lawn grass.  If some 
of them do sprout, they won't survive getting mowed down a couple of times.

You put grass clippings in the garden; it seems turnabout is only fair...

Bob

In article <5IpWc.2081$mM2.832@news01.roc.ny>,
 "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> Open fires??? What's that got to do with compost? :-)

My father always burned bones before he add to our piles.  Which we have 
had for awhile.   Seems he thought it made the nutrients more available.  
Guess a lot like adding wood ashes etc.

Death and destruction is a way of describing the way we garden.    

PS  Got any fresh killed tree chips you want to dump on my yard?

William(Bill)

-- 
Zone 5 S Jersey USA Shade Earth sometimes.
There is atleast one word misspelled deliberately in the above post. ;))
Serious Vision Problems? consider http://www.ocutech.com/
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/snews/2004/0809.shtml

In article <5IpWc.2081$mM2.832@news01.roc.ny>,
 "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:

> "Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:I3pWc.4346$D7.1792@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> > "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:vXoWc.2076$w73.913@news01.roc.ny...
> > > You said "only lawn clippings". Why not raw vegetable scraps? What
> > > "council"? Condo?
> >
> > Yes, I forgot to mention I also throw in raw vegetable scraps. The laws in
> > this land forbid open fires anywhere.
> >
> >
> Open fires??? What's that got to do with compost? :-)

Sorry I neglected to add one item to the idea of death and destruction 
being central to garden stuff.

REBIRTH.

Seeds rot before they grow...Go figure.

William(Bill)

-- 
Zone 5 S Jersey USA Shade Earth sometimes.
There is atleast one word misspelled deliberately in the above post. ;))
Serious Vision Problems? consider http://www.ocutech.com/
http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/snews/2004/0809.shtml

"William Wagner" <NonSpamb2wagner@snip.net> wrote in message
news:NonSpamb2wagner-F9F5CF.14154823082004@altnews.snip.net...
> In article <5IpWc.2081$mM2.832@news01.roc.ny>,
>  "Doug Kanter" <ancientangler@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > Open fires??? What's that got to do with compost? :-)
>
> My father always burned bones before he add to our piles.  Which we have
> had for awhile.   Seems he thought it made the nutrients more available.
> Guess a lot like adding wood ashes etc.
>
> Death and destruction is a way of describing the way we garden.
>
> PS  Got any fresh killed tree chips you want to dump on my yard?

No chips, although the old lady across the street from my new house is
trying to have her perfectly good sycamore murdered, in case you'd like to
come to Rochester NY with a dump truck. One by one, I'm meeting the new
neighbors. This one hobbled out yesterday to say hello. The first thing out
her mouth: "Lemme tell ya about this damned tree. This has been the WORST
year for it throwin' all that bark down & nobody can figure out what disease
it is that's causin' it. And the town's no damn help! It's on their
easement, and they won't come out & look at it". I tried to explain that the
bark falls off those trees when they grow, like lobsters molting, and that
the excessive shedding could be connected with the fact that we've had WAY
more rain than usual this year. But no. Her tree is sick.

Crimson Castle wrote:
> The compost is a closed black bin with a lid. Its in an area that gets
full
> sun but the earthworms hate it. I don't know about winter conditions
but in
> Summer the ordinary temperature reaches 40C - it should be
considerably
> hotter in the compost bin.

I think there may be a little misunderstanding here. When people speak
of compost getting hot, the heat being referred to comes from the
decomposition, not from external sources.

A pile of material with the right composition of carbon vs. nitrogen
will get hot even if it's not in a container. On the other hand, if the
ratio isn't close to right, decomposition will be slower, and not as hot
even if you have it in a dark container in the sun. (Actually, if you
have proper ventilation, the temperature inside a dark container won't
be significantly hotter anyway.)

While it certainly is easier to get a hot pile when the ambient
temperature is higher, you can still get a hot pile in the middle of
winter.

And you're not going to see worms in a hot compost pile. They'd be
baked. Worm composting is a whole different method. If you're trying to
attract worms to a typical backyard composting bin, you'll be
disappointed.

-- 
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
     Blatant Plug: "The Simpsons" 2005 Calendars and Books:
     http://www.holzemville.com/mall/simpsons/books.html

Crimson Castle wrote:
> 
> The compost is a closed black bin with a lid. 

You need a bigger bin. A 1 metre cube usually improves the composting
far better than those plastic bins. The bigger mass can generate and
keep more heat to kill the seeds.

And I have the same problem with grass seeds from grass clippings.

Other things you can fiddle with are;
	moisture level (you may need to add water)
	bit of lime (especially if you put in gum leaves)
	nitrogen (dynamic lifter is relatively cheap - add water).

"Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to forget
> about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
> bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
> seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
> weed seeds. He now insists that only lawn grass clippings get placed into
> the compost bin.... well that's another story.
>
> In the ancient past I'd put the weeds into a concrete compost oven and cook
> and bake the darn things - then use it. But we are not allowed to do that
> now - due to council by-laws.
>
> I thought of placing the weeds into a special big plastic tub in a far
> corner of the backyard- and then letting them soak in crappy water and some
> manure for a month or so. Would that help to kill the weed seeds?
>

We soak ours in crappy water for +- 6 months and then use the crappy
water.  Works fine.

On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 18:39:30 GMT, "Crimson Castle"
<whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to forget
>about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
>bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
>seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
>weed seeds. He now insists that only lawn grass clippings get placed into
>the compost bin.... well that's another story.

I take a long-term view of things, and know that I will defeat the weeds
eventually. It's just a matter of persistence. I enjoy spending time in the
garden, even time spent weeding. That doesn't mean I'll deliberately waste time
weeding, but I do use weeded material in the compost. Once I even gathered up a
pile of thistles(complete with seed heads), shredded them, and made compost from
just thistles as an experiment. I watched the beds I used that compost on to see
if any thistles sprouted there. None did. The compost did cook pretty good for
the first few days after I ran it through the shredder.

In article <CL5Wc.3287$D7.1943@news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
 "Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I'm thinking of using my weeds as compost. But my gardener told me to forget
> about it. He argues that its pointless placing the weeds into the compost
> bin and then using them as mulch (in three months time or so) because the
> seeds often don't die - and you end up seeding your garden with the darn
> weed seeds.

Given that you have a black plastic bin, the bin should heat the seeds up 
enough to kill them.  Secondly, consider how much work we are talking about 
here.  Are the weeds you're gettign difficult to remove?  If yes, then avoid 
composting the seeds (or letting the plants seed).  Weeds that don't have 
seeds on should be fine to go into the compost.

THings that you really should NOT put into compost are thorny branches (the 
thorns don't break down) and anything showing signs of fungal disease.

-- 
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia 
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet

> enough to kill them.  Secondly, consider how much work we are talking
about
> here.  Are the weeds you're gettign difficult to remove?  If yes, then
avoid

Nope its just the usually dandylion stuff, and a wierd weed that has a white
flower, has small "branches" that become pods and disintegrate, spraying the
seeds everywhere, when you pluck them from the ground when the pods are
ripe.

"Crimson Castle" <whereareyou.crimson_castle@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<hc3Xc.7258$D7.2906@news-server.bigpond.net.au>...
> > enough to kill them.  Secondly, consider how much work we are talking
>  about
> > here.  Are the weeds you're gettign difficult to remove?  If yes, then
> avoid
> 
> Nope its just the usually dandylion stuff, and a wierd weed that has a white
> flower, has small "branches" that become pods and disintegrate, spraying the
> seeds everywhere, when you pluck them from the ground when the pods are
> ripe.

The best place for seedy weeds is in a seperate compost that will be
used in deep shade where the darn things won't grow anyway.
Otherwise it's best not to use them or to burn them and return the
ashes to the soil.