Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from Bill R contains these words:

FragileWarrior wrote:
John Bachman wrote in
:



If you manage the compost so that it gets hot the weed seeds will be
killed.

Are you sure? Seems to me I remember one of the teachers in our MG class
saying that weed seeds can survive even the hottest compost pile.
In fact,
IIRC, the first things that return after a forest fire are the weeds.

That depends on the local ecology. In areas where forest or prairie
fires are common, some perennial seeds actually require scorching before
they can germinate, and garden growers have to simulate that :-). But
many annual garden weed seeds in cool temperate climates, can't survive
fire.

I think John should have said "MOST weed seeds will be killed". For
that reason I don't put anything that has seeds in my compost pile.

I have several compost heaps, at least two being filled at any one
time. One is specially for seedy weeds. Its a black plastic dalek shape,
in the sun, and gets very hot inside. The compost that comes from it, is
buried in holes underground; for filling bean trenches, planting shrubs
and such like. Most garden weed seeds require light to germinate so, if
any do survive composting, they've no hope of germinating deep down
under the soil surface.

Also, seeds may germinate during composting while still in the
topmost/outermost layers of the pile where temps are lowest. A
well-maintained compost is turned more than once, which allows more than
one opportunity to send new sprouts down into the hottest zone where
they will be killed.