"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sat, 20 May 2006 20:50:03 +1200, George.com wrote:

The bales are standard pasture hay, grasses and whatever else was
growing at the time of cutting.

So have a very high chance of being full of viable seeds from
Buttercups,
Ragwort, Thistle (or whatever "garden nasties" grow wild in your part of
the world), and of course the not so nasty meadow flowers.

Do I need to worry about the mould inside the hay?

Only if you where thinking of using it as animal feed. ie Don't. The
mould is probably the reason they have been given away.

I have heard the odd story of hay self combusting when it rots, any
chance here you think.

One or two catch fire round here every year when put out for feed. These
are the big 6' dia 4' deep round bales mind, not one man lift oblong
ones.

"Yes" to what everybody else has said. I haven't used hay, but I have
used spoiled big-bale grass silage. I think I'd encourage this spoiled
hay to rot good and proper before using it: put it into a compost heap
in the ordinary way. I rather doubt if you'll be unlucky enough to get
a conflagration. (I'm a little suspicious about the story of the yucca
blaze: I won't be rash enough to say it's impossible, but I'd want to
ask if anybody dropped a fag-end in the pot and didn't care to admit
it.)

I felt a little paranoid raising the issue of combustion. I raised that
issue in terms of storing it in the garage, don't want that going up.

In terms of composting it, sort of defeats the purpose of what I got it for
I think. I have enough good compost, this stuff is to heavy mulch the
gardens. A dumb question here, but I presume you mean the general compost
heap.

I have read quite a few counts of people using 'spoiled hay' as a mulch. Do
you think we are talking lucerne hay here?

rob

George.com wrote:
[...]
In terms of composting it, sort of defeats the purpose of what I got it for
I think. I have enough good compost, this stuff is to heavy mulch the
gardens. A dumb question here, but I presume you mean the general compost
heap.

I have read quite a few counts of people using 'spoiled hay' as a mulch. Do
you think we are talking lucerne hay here?

I don't know what kind of hay you've read about, but lucerne (alfalfa)
sounds likely: it would have been sown in a relatively clean tilth
after another crop and cut before seeding -- in fact, all hay should be
cut before seeding, in theory: huh!. Lucerne roots well down, and
brings up a lot of nutrients, so I guess it would make good compost.

I'd have thought any hay would look pretty horrible as a general mulch,
even if it didn't get blown about: and I don't even think it would work
very well for water-retention. I really wouldn't mulch with the stuff
you describe until it's broken down a lot and the weed seeds have
germinated or been destroyed.

I said I'd used spoiled silage: that wasn't in an established garden,
but on a patch of desperate stuff that needed conditioning. I was lucky
enough for the spoiling to have killed the weed seeds.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

George.com wrote:
[...]
In terms of composting it, sort of defeats the purpose of what I got it
for
I think. I have enough good compost, this stuff is to heavy mulch the
gardens. A dumb question here, but I presume you mean the general
compost
heap.

I have read quite a few counts of people using 'spoiled hay' as a mulch.
Do
you think we are talking lucerne hay here?

I don't know what kind of hay you've read about, but lucerne (alfalfa)
sounds likely: it would have been sown in a relatively clean tilth
after another crop and cut before seeding -- in fact, all hay should be
cut before seeding, in theory: huh!. Lucerne roots well down, and
brings up a lot of nutrients, so I guess it would make good compost.

I'd have thought any hay would look pretty horrible as a general mulch,
even if it didn't get blown about: and I don't even think it would work
very well for water-retention. I really wouldn't mulch with the stuff
you describe until it's broken down a lot and the weed seeds have
germinated or been destroyed.

right, can you describe the last paragraph a little more please Mike. When
you say broken down, are you meaning some process of composting? Is this
like,

in to the compost heap along with nitrogen and break it down to a fine
crumb,
in to a drum like I do with poop and age it seperately,
some form of weathering
some other process I am not aware of?

thanks.

George.com wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
[...]
I'd have thought any hay would look pretty horrible as a general mulch,
even if it didn't get blown about: and I don't even think it would work
very well for water-retention. I really wouldn't mulch with the stuff
you describe until it's broken down a lot and the weed seeds have
germinated or been destroyed.

right, can you describe the last paragraph a little more please Mike. When
you say broken down, are you meaning some process of composting? Is this
like,

in to the compost heap along with nitrogen and break it down to a fine
crumb,
in to a drum like I do with poop and age it seperately,
some form of weathering
some other process I am not aware of?

No, I just meant composted, or at least partially composted, in a heap.
If you've got some dung, that's great: I'd mix it in.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

George.com wrote:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
[...]
I'd have thought any hay would look pretty horrible as a general
mulch,
even if it didn't get blown about: and I don't even think it would
work
very well for water-retention. I really wouldn't mulch with the stuff
you describe until it's broken down a lot and the weed seeds have
germinated or been destroyed.

right, can you describe the last paragraph a little more please Mike.
When
you say broken down, are you meaning some process of composting? Is this
like,

in to the compost heap along with nitrogen and break it down to a fine
crumb,
in to a drum like I do with poop and age it seperately,
some form of weathering
some other process I am not aware of?

No, I just meant composted, or at least partially composted, in a heap.
If you've got some dung, that's great: I'd mix it in.

right, thanks for that. What you are really saying is get a hot core compost
going that will kill of weed seeds, turn the outside in a couple of times
and, if I then choose, cool it off and store before it breaks down too much.

rob