Re: I DO NOT AGREE
From: Stephen Hopkins <watergarden@hargray.com>
> There are many weeds in TX and MS I would never pull and leave on
> the ground to dry especially if they had seed pods on them. Nor, would I
> put them in a compost bin. As soon as you are done weeding, pick up all
> the weeds and put in your trash to be carried off so they won't sprout
> again in your yard or garden.
>
> And, if you cannot pull them promptly, spray them with Roundup.
I and many others roughly ''sort'' our weeds. I have one compost bin which
is well-tended and stocked only with seedless debris. The aeration, moisture
and nutrients are controlled to give a rapid degradation. The resulting
material is precious stuff used as an amendment any time something is being
planted or divided in existing beds.
Seed-bearing debris, pennywort rhizomes and spiderwort pieces (my primary
scourge) are placed in a second compost heap. This pile receives less
attention and the decomposition takes much longer. I go to this pile
whenever a bed is being installed or completely renovated. I try to get the
completely composted material on the bottom of the pile but if it is a big
job, I may even throw in a lot of material which has not completely rotted
down. This new/renovated bed is fertilized, watered and turned for several
weeks before planting. This lets much of the things which are going to
sprout or take root go ahead and do their thing. I then go back and either
pull the emerging weeds or spray with RoundUp if the weeds are severe. I
have no reservations about spraying at this point because it is one small
application for what started out to be a mountain of weeds. I once used a
soil sterilant (Vapon?) to destroy all the seed in a new bed but this
approach was too intense for me and I reverted to a more simplistic approach.
Stephen Hopkins
So.Carolina
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