On 12/10/2010 00:24, AL_n wrote:
Martin wrote in
news


If you stack it in heaps about 2m on a side and keep damp then it
won't matter too much - the stuff will quickly heat up internally and
rot down. I would not spread the stuff around without first composting
it. Both ivy and bramble will regrow from fairly small pieces.

Are you sure you want to move this sort of bulk material around? Might
be a lot easier to compost it in situ (or burn) and take the ash as
fertiliser. Clearing bramble, nettle, ivy scrubland I tend to favour a
hit of glyphosate followed a few weeks later by torching it when
tinder dry (putting in appropriate fire breaks). Ivy being so waxy
survives glyphosate but it doesn't last long in a fire.


Thanks to all. Unfortunately I can't have a fire where the brambles and ivy
are groeing. The overgrown yard is surrounded by buildings. I'll have to
cart the stuff away and either compost it or burn it on my own property
which is more rural - or I could dump the lot at the council tip which is
nearer to the yard. Shredding it would make it easier to cart away. It
means I can cart it all away in perhaps three vanloads insted of ten (I'm
guessing).

The volume will certainly be enough to compost hot then. Seems a shame
to take it to the council tip in a van where you will be hit for trade
waste charges if you could compost it for your own use. I wouldn't even
consider using it as a mulch without composting first though!

You will be surprised how fast it goes in 2m loose filled cubes. After a
couple of days you will smell a strange stale low molecular weight fatty
acids and the core temperature should go up to 60-70C. Don't do it too
close to your house - hot composting can sometimes run away. I have had
one go to smouldering internally once. After the first week just move
the outer bits inwards if it doesn't collapse of its own accord. Be
ready to use in in spring next year if you do it right.

I am pretty lazy about turning compost properly and have discovered that
it really doesn't make all that much difference. The key is to add a lot
of material at one time and make sure there is plenty of air in the mix.
Anything not properly rotted down when I come to use it ends up in the
bottom of the next heap. I have three used cyclically.

If you are superstitious then a bit of proprietory accelerator like
Garotta will get the stuff off to an even quicker start. I have not
found it necessary with large amounts of material YMMV.

Regards,
Martin Brown