Grow Your Own Magazine

hi all,
this is my first post on the vine,so sorry in advance if the question is stupid!!

I've just spent a weekend giving a 7 foot high privet a severe hair cut.....it is now about 3 foot high.I've painstakingly shredded it down and was wondering whether it will rot down well or not in a compost bin?

If not,has anyone else got any suggestions? I've got enough to fill most of a 45 gal drum sized compost bin.

__________________
Spiderpig

My friend is always wanting some for her son's stick insect.............

__________________

Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Will probably take ages to rot down. Do your council do green bins? If so I would give it to them. I certainly wouldn't put it in a mixed compost bin, maybe make a separate heap and see how it goes?

Could you use it as a mulch for your borders?

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I shredded a 250 foot long 6 foot wide and 6 foot high privet hedge last summer down to 2 foot by 2 foot.I have the chippings in a seperate pile (2 tractor trailer loads of them)and on inspection last week they will be there for at least another year. Seem to remember someone somewhere saying something about privet hedging and poisions but cant remember what or where so do a thorough search on it.

__________________
Et tū, quis es?

Hey! Spiderpig!

Having checked my address book for 'spiderpig' and not having passed any severely curtailed privet, I guess I don't know you already, however welcome to the Vine, and you'll get further composty info here shortly, I'm sure.

Dunno about your privet composting, but if all else fails, put it out in the green bags (2 bags per 2wk collection, I believe) for the green collection...

__________________
Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

Thanks beefy,your "shreddathon" makes my efforts appear a little pathetic.........and i was feeling so proud of my efforts at getting rid of about a 15 foot length
still, your feedback and that of other vine members has made my mind up to not bother dedicating a whole bin to the process.It's the council recycling for me!!!

__________________
Spiderpig

Thanks hazel,the replies have confirmed that i am probably better off getting it to the council afterall. you won't have seen the curtailed privet in your travels round Sutton, it's well hidden in a long and narrow back garden in deepest darkest boldmere.I had to do something with it though to try and make my limited space usable.

I have 4 veg beds and have 7 ft privet on both sides.The limited "tanning" time available is also curtailed by a 60ft tree(in next doors garden!)By taking down the one side,at least it gives me some sun light onto the beds. I also combined the privet shearing with some strategic pruning of lower branches(with neighbours agreement, of course) and now i can't wait to get planting!!

By the way,loving the blog and photo's of your lottie!

__________________
Spiderpig

Thanks Manda,it did cross my mind but I just have the vision of it being even more enticing as a giant green kitty litter for next doors cats \i have enough trouble with this as it is,so i will be recycling it via the council facilities.

__________________
Spiderpig

Hi and welcome to the vine spiderpig.

We did a similar privet lopping job last year and ours is still sitting in a big heap waiting for time to shred it down!! We intend using it to make a chipping path across the lawn, don't know if it will work but it can't be any worse than the muddy trail we have at the moment from all the wet last month!

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

thanks shirl,good luck with the privet path! thankfullly i won't need to use it as this because i struck lucky last year when the father in law decided to use a load of old slabs I had and he laid an excellent and level paved area between my beds.thank goodness for retired in laws who need projects to keep them out of trouble!!!!

__________________
Spiderpig

I sliced and diced for a day and a half with a big chainsaw and then when I looked round and saw the pile of stuff that was lying behind me I nearly had heart failure. Just as well I can get the lend of a chipper that goes on the back of a tractor so it was an easy enough job to shred/chip it all.

One tip for anyone else doing this - feed the privet into the shredder from the bottom of the branch to the top . I found if you put the tops in first they jam up .

__________________
Et tū, quis es?

My Dad always told me that privet was poisonous and to burn all cuttings. I think the old idea was that it poisoned the soil, when in fact it has a fibrous root system that robs the soil of all nutients and moisture for other plants.

It used to be recommended to bury your dahlia corms under a privet hedge for the winter because it was so dry and sheltered!

The plant itself is very poisonous especially to horses, but thankfully is unpalatable. The bark, leaves and berry's are poisonous and could be fatal to humans.

Not a plant I paricularily like, it is on a par with Lawsons Cypress to me and I'm afraid I regard both as weed plants!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)