composting

[Eigenvector]

I compost my grass to roll into my garden. I've been wondering though, am I screwing myself by doing that? I say that because my back 40 has quite a bit of dandilions in it, plus I also use the compost pile for any of the weeds I pull out of the planters and landscape islands. I'm wondering if those dandilions are getting put right back into the garden the next year when I put the compost into the dirt.

[Ann]

"Eigenvector" expounded:

Unless you're hot composting then yes, you are bringing seeds into your garden. A little stirring and hoeing should take care of them, though!

[Eigenvector]

Okay, I just wasn't sure about that, dandilions are pretty tough little buggers and I just didn't want to turn my nice garden into a nice dandilion salad garden. But no I don't hot compost, just use it to add in organics and cover over the dirt to smother the weeds.

[George.com]

if you are simply putting the leaves in to your compost then no problem. If seeds then only a very hot compost will knock them out. When they are first in flower should be ok but when going to seed best mulch the grass back in to the lawn. That way it won't spread.

rob

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from "Eigenvector" contains these words:

I keep a special compost heap for really pernicious and or seedy weeds, and use that compost in bean trenches. No weds are going to germinate that deep down in the soil.

All other weeds, and lawn clippings, go in the other compost heaps. From those, I just spread the compost as a thick top-layer mulch on the soil, (worms take it down completely within a few months). Birds scratch around looking for the worms, dislodging most weeds as they germinate. Also, because the scratched over top mulch layer is loose and friable, it's very easy to tweak out any weeds which escape the bird-scratching, before they get established.

Janet.

[Sheldon]

When organic matter is fully composted the seeds will be composted too... odds are you're not really composting. There is no such thing as partially composted, it is or it's not.

[Ann]

Sheldon expounded:

This is not true and obviously the poster knows nothing about composting.

[symplastless]

My thoughts on the subject of mulch

Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.