[jessehurlburt]

Hey All-

My town has a leaf recycling program and make a huge pile of compost available for the taking. I want to apply a good amount of this compost prior to my fall overseed to help with my sandy, low CEC soil. When I looked at the compost pile in May it looked pretty "unbroken" down, lots of big sticks, etc. I am worried about what weed seeds might be in it. I would imagine after a few weeks in the high 80-90's this pile must get very warm on the inside- enough to cook the seeds? Should I first get the compost then let it cook in a covered lawn barrel for a month before putting it down? Also thinking about some kind of screen to get the big stuff out, like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Tierra-Garden-GP104-Galvanized-Woven/dp/B001614ZCG/ref=asc_df_B001614ZCG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=225805474295&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6668485468860949604&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003363&hvtargid=pla-391019057176&psc=1

 

[g-man]

Either ask for testing or get your sample tested. Otherwise, dont risk it.

 

[glenmonte]

What's cheaper? Free compost and you need more weed killer/pre emergent or just certified compost?

 

[jessehurlburt]

Does anyone know how hot a pile needs to get (and for how long) to kill most weed seeds? I'm thinking a covered barrel in the 90 degree sun for a week would do it. I'm sure the attendant would look at me like I had two heads if I asked him for test results on the compost. Where could I bring a sample to be tested?

 

[ForsheeMS]

Our local city waste water treatment plant offers compost made from leaves and mulched trees they collect and combine that with the "sludge" collected from the sewer. It goes for $10 a scoop which is more than enough to fill up a full size truck bed. I use it to help with trouble areas in my lawn and it definitely works. I do find sticks and small chunks of wood in it which isn't a problem. These pieces were too large to begin with and would take several years to break down. I've never had a weed problem at all in the areas the compost was spread.

 

[OnyxsLawn]

I used the compost from my city when I did my back reno. Screened most of it by hand using a homemade sifter (hardware cloth and 2x4 is much cheaper and bigger than a premade one). Our city certifies that the compost is free of pathogens meaning the pile gets up to at least 150 F to confidently kill everything off. That has the effect of killing off weed seeds. The bin I filled with compost and grew some extra plugs with is entirely weed free, so looks like it works. Maybe get a bucket and see if anything grows before getting a whole load. How big of an operation do they run?

 

[jessehurlburt]

I used the compost from my city when I did my back reno. Screened most of it by hand using a homemade sifter (hardware cloth and 2x4 is much cheaper and bigger than a premade one). Our city certifies that the compost is free of pathogens meaning the pile gets up to at least 150 F to confidently kill everything off. That has the effect of killing off weed seeds. The bin I filled with compost and grew some extra plugs with is entirely weed free, so looks like it works. Maybe get a bucket and see if anything grows before getting a whole load. How big of an operation do they run?

Thanks! Maybe I will call the office line for the brush station and see if they have the similar type of certification. My plan was to go every weekend and fill a 50 gallon rolling bin so when the weather cools I'll have a nice pile to topdress with. Good thinking on putting some in a test pot and seeing what comes up. It is a relativity small town, but they get huge piles of leaves each year. I assume it is getting moved around a bit as well since they have a pile of newer leaves, then a huge pile of more finished compost. It is a pile probably 20-30' tall. I might bring a probe thermometer on a hot day and stick in it a foot and see how warm it is..