Hey all,

Does anyone know if weed seeds can be killed when they are immersed in water
for extended periods? If so, how long does it take? I've just started using
my grey water to draw nutrients from my grass clippings (and clipping
compost) to avoid adding the clippings directly to my vege patch. I'm trying
to reduce the amount of weeds that spring up whenever I turn my back.

Or should I just chuck the "spent" clippings into the greenwaste bin?

Peter

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"Peter" wrote in message

Does anyone know if weed seeds can be killed when they are immersed in
water
for extended periods? If so, how long does it take?

Yep. As long as it takes them to start looked semi rotted. If they don't
start to rot (ie break down) then they can still germinate. If you add
them
to a mix of manure in a drum and the lot starts to fester, then it
shouldn't
take too long - perhpas a week in hot weather if the drum is in the sun,
but
really it is probably weather dependant and weed dependant and 'fester
rate
of drum contents' dependant.

I've just started using
my grey water to draw nutrients from my grass clippings (and clipping
compost) to avoid adding the clippings directly to my vege patch. I'm
trying
to reduce the amount of weeds that spring up whenever I turn my back.

Or should I just chuck the "spent" clippings into the greenwaste bin?

Don't do that as it's a waste of free nutrients. Those weeds will all be
taking something from your ground and if you notice what weeds come up
each
year, you will notice that some weeds will appear one year but not the
next.
Some weeds will also appear in certain situations and are a good indicator
of soil fertility/poverty etc. Sometimes the weeds won't reappear because
you've corrected a nutrient/mineral deficiency and the situation is no
longer condusive to those weeds. Sometimes they won't come back because
the
weather isn't in their favour that year. I'd be very surprised if they
don't come back because you have no weed seeds left (but then you may be
in
an area that has been intensively gardened and well maintained for decades
but I'm not in that situation so have an intimate relationship with my
weeds).

I do a number of things with my weeds. Sometimes I add them to the
compost
(various sorts of systems running), sometimes I add them to the Black Jack
(liquid manure system you are asking about) sometimes I just drop them on
the ground where they were growing with the roots upwards in the sun.
this
latter kills them quickly but I generally only do this if they haven't got
seed heads on them. The latter (pull and drop) technique is one that very
old gardeners often say results in the weed not returning. Dunno if that
is
true or not

not in my experience. The new weeds coming through briefly stop to say hello
to their departed cousin and then keep moroting for the light.

rob

"Peter" wrote in message
u...
Hey all,

Does anyone know if weed seeds can be killed when they are immersed in
water
for extended periods? If so, how long does it take? I've just started
using
my grey water to draw nutrients from my grass clippings (and clipping
compost) to avoid adding the clippings directly to my vege patch. I'm
trying
to reduce the amount of weeds that spring up whenever I turn my back.

Or should I just chuck the "spent" clippings into the greenwaste bin?

Peter

hm. i make fertiliser from weeds & haven't noticed it creates a weed
problem... then again, my weed problem is currently considerable anyway -
how would i notice if it was worse? :-)

most if not all weed seeds should drown in the 2-4 weeks you are submerging
the clippings. if they seem not to be drowning, just leave them longer so
they do!! alternatively, if you put the stuff into a finely-woven bag &
submerge the bag in the water, this would solve the issue of seeds going in
the liquid. you could then re-compost the leftover sludge from the bag.

really, mulching is the only thing that really "helps" with weeds. i just
don't think there's any other solution. seeds blow in from other places
anyway no matter what you do.
kylie

"Peter" wrote in message

Does anyone know if weed seeds can be killed when they are immersed in
water
for extended periods? If so, how long does it take?

Yep. As long as it takes them to start looked semi rotted. If they don't
start to rot (ie break down) then they can still germinate. If you add them
to a mix of manure in a drum and the lot starts to fester, then it shouldn't
take too long - perhpas a week in hot weather if the drum is in the sun, but
really it is probably weather dependant and weed dependant and 'fester rate
of drum contents' dependant.

I've just started using
my grey water to draw nutrients from my grass clippings (and clipping
compost) to avoid adding the clippings directly to my vege patch. I'm
trying
to reduce the amount of weeds that spring up whenever I turn my back.

Or should I just chuck the "spent" clippings into the greenwaste bin?

Don't do that as it's a waste of free nutrients. Those weeds will all be
taking something from your ground and if you notice what weeds come up each
year, you will notice that some weeds will appear one year but not the next.
Some weeds will also appear in certain situations and are a good indicator
of soil fertility/poverty etc. Sometimes the weeds won't reappear because
you've corrected a nutrient/mineral deficiency and the situation is no
longer condusive to those weeds. Sometimes they won't come back because the
weather isn't in their favour that year. I'd be very surprised if they
don't come back because you have no weed seeds left (but then you may be in
an area that has been intensively gardened and well maintained for decades
but I'm not in that situation so have an intimate relationship with my
weeds).

I do a number of things with my weeds. Sometimes I add them to the compost
(various sorts of systems running), sometimes I add them to the Black Jack
(liquid manure system you are asking about) sometimes I just drop them on
the ground where they were growing with the roots upwards in the sun. this
latter kills them quickly but I generally only do this if they haven't got
seed heads on them. The latter (pull and drop) technique is one that very
old gardeners often say results in the weed not returning. Dunno if that is
true or not but I have been told that it works because the weed grew there
because of the specific conditions that suited it and by letting it rot (rot
being a wonderful thing) where it grew than you are doing the same thing as
when one collects insect, runs them through a blender, strains the liquid
and then sprays it on the plants to stop the collected blended insect
attacking the plant.

Hi Kylie, thanks for your suggestions.

most if not all weed seeds should drown in the 2-4 weeks you are
submerging
the clippings. if they seem not to be drowning, just leave them longer so
they do!! alternatively, if you put the stuff into a finely-woven bag &
submerge the bag in the water, this would solve the issue of seeds going
in
the liquid. you could then re-compost the leftover sludge from the bag.

really, mulching is the only thing that really "helps" with weeds. i just
don't think there's any other solution. seeds blow in from other places
anyway no matter what you do.
kylie


I do mulch too. The problems arise when planting carrots and other vegies
from seed. The weeds spring up so fast that they often overwhelm the
germinated vegie seeds. Or they are so numerous that when I uproot them,
they disturb a large portion of the soil and the vegie roots therein. Things
seem to have calmed down this year though. It's the third or forth year I've
been working the same patch. It was previously lawn (unwanted green "things"
of all shapes and sizes). (c:

Peter

Hey Farml, thanks for your help,

I do a number of things with my weeds. Sometimes I add them to the
compost
(various sorts of systems running), sometimes I add them to the Black Jack
(liquid manure system you are asking about) sometimes I just drop them on
the ground where they were growing with the roots upwards in the sun.

I've got a couple of compost bins on the go too. Unfortunately I don't have
the time to turn them regularly so they don't get hot enough to kill the
seeds. So I cold compost kitchen scraps separate to lawn clippings or weeds
that I've pulled up. Veggie foliage goes into the kitchen compost too. Once
I've soaked the weedy material, I think I'll put the remaining waste in the
veggie compost to further break down any surviving seeds. I guess another
possibility would be to dig a trench in the garden, but I'd rather not lock
away the nutrients down deep where not all the vegies are going to benefit
from it.

Peter