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To add weeds to the compost heap or not?

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  • #1

    To add weeds to the compost heap or not?

    Hi folks,

    I have had some conflicting views regarding whether to compost weeds from my allotment recently.

    Can anyone give advice if I should be composting the weeds or not? btw, I'm not doing it at present.

    Thanks in advance,
    firefly
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  • #2
    I would certainly add annual weeds but not the roots of stuff like couch grass, bindweed, dandelion etc. I used to put dandelion leaves in until I got chickens who will have your hand off for them!
    Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

    www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 9th - Spring

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    • #3
      It depends on wether your heap is allowed to get warm enough. In theory it kills them off. There are however certain weeds I wouldn't let near it. Horsetail for one. I make a pong tea out of them.
      Not a complete expert on compost though, so could be wrong. I've certainly not had much of a problem.
      Good luck
      Clay soil is just the big yins way of letting you know nothing good comes easy.

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      • #4
        Exactly what Flummery said. What do you do with your weeds at the moment then?

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        • #5
          Yup should have added what Flummery said. No roots at all. Just the green stuff! :-)
          Clay soil is just the big yins way of letting you know nothing good comes easy.

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          • #6
            At the mo they go in the green bin & the council takes them away.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by firefly View Post
              At the mo they go in the green bin & the council takes them away.
              What a waste

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              • #8
                Don't add the flowers of dandelion etc, they'll still set seed after being cut off from the plant if they've been pollenated--- unless you're sure that your heap heats up hot.

                I wee in my heaps (more polite people would say they wee in a bottle etc.. I would but I'd be lying ), then water it down with the hose... I often thing seeing going to the loo is a waste of wee, to be honest!!

                Edit sorry, the nitrogen in the urine helps to accelerate the composting process, thus creating more heat to kill off most things. I have the odd weed pop up, but so far no dandelions
                Last edited by chris; 25-07-2011, 12:20 PM.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by chrismarks View Post
                  I often thing seeing going to the loo is a waste of wee, to be honest!!
                  Pardon??

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                  • #10
                    how about thistles and nettles? And the roots? And brambles?

                    I suppose I shouldn't have put all those on my compost heap either?

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                    • #11
                      Corris, you should be OK if the heap gets hot. A dalek type composter standing in the sun will probably get hot enough. I wouldn't put brambles in unless they'd been chopped up suitable first. Lay them all on the ground and run a mower over them - that should do it, and it saves you buying a shredder!

                      Two Sheds is the person to ask; she bungs everything in a water-butt, lets it rot and feeds it to her veg! That's proper zero-waste recycling!
                      Last edited by Glutton4...; 25-07-2011, 02:23 PM.
                      All the best - Glutton 4 Punishment
                      Freelance shrub butcher and weed removal operative.

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                      • #12
                        No pernicious weeds should go in the compost heap but all other weeds can and should be composted. Even if the heap isn't generating enough heat to kill weed seeds, it will be creating a valuable soil conditioner and the soil attached to weed roots will act as an accelerant. Grass cutting will help raise the heap temperature but too much will result in a slimy mess being created so do try to use a mix of rougher materials. Straw, paper, cardboard and such like.

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                        • #13
                          I've emptied one dalek (which incidentally had lovely compost in it would you believe once we took the top off!) - but they had a rabbit pen - about four foot by 8 foot and around 3.5 foot high - it's timber framed with small chicken wire around it on three sides, and a board across the other long side - I think when we clear more we'll find a symmetrical one there too. Anyway, in the absence of anything else sizeable enough I've just filled that with my hackings, and diggings. (not too many of them so far.)

                          But mostly what I have is bramble and nettle and thistle. A lot of it. And hedge trimmings.

                          No mower though. Working on that.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by rustylady View Post
                            Pardon??

                            Phones auto correct! No idea what it was meant to be now hehe

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Corris View Post
                              how about thistles and nettles? ...And brambles?
                              The only weed I put in the bin is dandelion heads (because they set seed even after you've pulled them off)

                              Originally posted by Glutton4... View Post
                              Two Sheds...bungs everything in a water-butt, lets it rot and feeds it to her veg!
                              I do that if there's no sun, but if it's hot & sunny the perennial weeds are laid on the path for a day or three to go brown & crispy & dead: then they go in the compost heap

                              Originally posted by Aberdeenplotter View Post
                              No pernicious weeds should go in the compost heap
                              .... unless they are already dead. See post above

                              Originally posted by Corris View Post
                              hedge trimmings.
                              Chopped up small, they do on the heap too. Spread them on the lawn and mow them is the quick way, as G4 said
                              All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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