Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?

Cheers

On 17/3/08 14:36, in article , "Bashy"
wrote:


Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?


How does it not look right? If you kept the bag closed you shouldn't have
any 'critters' getting into it and even that's a bit of a stretch of the
imagination. It *should* be fine.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

"Bashy" wrote in message
...

Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?

I don't think compost can go off even if it goes moldy :-)
It might just have got damp, it will be fine, just stir it up if it has
clumped up.

If it smells funny though, use it in the garden rather than using it in pots
for the house.

Tom

Bashy says...

Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?

Cheers


I've had some cheap compost go mouldy before - white fur
coat on pieces of compost and white fillaments running
through it. Musty smell too. In which case I just mixed it
with garden soil and used it for potting on plants
(outside). I wouldn't use it indoors and definitely not for
seeds as they will likely rot.
--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted.

In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
| Bashy says...
|
| Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
| I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
| and opened it.
| Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
| summer).
| I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!
|
| I've had some cheap compost go mouldy before - white fur
| coat on pieces of compost and white fillaments running
| through it. Musty smell too. In which case I just mixed it
| with garden soil and used it for potting on plants
| (outside). I wouldn't use it indoors and definitely not for
| seeds as they will likely rot.

No more likely to than normal. Most fungi (especially those that
have mycelium) are pretty specialised, and there is no particular
reason that those would attack seedlings. You aren't going to
avoid having fungi in your compost, unless you go in for laboratory
sterility, you know. Mould spores are ubiquitous.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Bashy writes

Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?


Sometimes the top can dry out or pick up a surface mould. Skim off the
top few inches and have another look. If you're happy with that, then
use that (if it were me I'd use it all).


--
Kay

On 17 Mar, 17:51, K wrote:
Bashy writes



Hi,

Can someone tell me, does compost go off?
I bought a 75 litre bag of west advanced plus multi purpose last year
and opened it.
Hardley any of it was used (just a pot's worth at the end of the
summer).
I've just had a look at it and it doesn't look right!!

Any idea's?
Should I just dump it?

Sometimes the top can dry out or pick up a surface mould. Skim off the
top few inches and have another look. If you're happy with that, then
use that (if it were me I'd use it all).

--
Kay

Tip it into a barrow and break it up and mix in some extra fertalizer.
The compost won't "Go off" but the fertilizer will loose its value.
Us it for potting on larger plants/shrubs. or for tubs
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Thanks guys

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
Bashy says...

I've had some cheap compost go mouldy before - white fur
coat on pieces of compost and white fillaments running
through it. Musty smell too. In which case I just mixed it
with garden soil and used it for potting on plants
(outside). I wouldn't use it indoors and definitely not for
seeds as they will likely rot.

No more likely to than normal. Most fungi (especially those that
have mycelium) are pretty specialised, and there is no particular
reason that those would attack seedlings. You aren't going to
avoid having fungi in your compost, unless you go in for laboratory
sterility, you know. Mould spores are ubiquitous.


You'll be saying next that you don't need to sterilise pots before sowing
seeds in them. ;-)

Pythium and Phytophthora know where you live...

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

In article ,
"Jeff Layman" writes:
| In article ,
| David in Normandy writes:
| Bashy says...
|
| I've had some cheap compost go mouldy before - white fur
| coat on pieces of compost and white fillaments running
| through it. Musty smell too. In which case I just mixed it
| with garden soil and used it for potting on plants
| (outside). I wouldn't use it indoors and definitely not for
| seeds as they will likely rot.
|
| No more likely to than normal. Most fungi (especially those that
| have mycelium) are pretty specialised, and there is no particular
| reason that those would attack seedlings. You aren't going to
| avoid having fungi in your compost, unless you go in for laboratory
| sterility, you know. Mould spores are ubiquitous.
|
| You'll be saying next that you don't need to sterilise pots before sowing
| seeds in them. ;-)

In general, you don't. There is fairly little point in doing so if
(a) there wasn't a problem last time you used them and (b) you are
putting unsterilised compost in them. But that wasn't my point.

The mycelium that appears on compost will correspond to a saprophyte;
virtually the only organisms that cause trouble are parasites; they
don't overlap all that much. The visible symptom of white mould on
compost is unlikely to be correlated with seedlings rotting.

If you want to get rid of all such things, you need to sterilise
all pots and compost, either by autoclaving (say, 200 Celsius for
20 minutes) or by using an effective disinfecting agent (such as
concentrated formaldehyde), and maintain sterile conditions
thereafter. Most people don't go that far ....

| Pythium and Phytophthora know where you live...

Well, yes - and they know where you and David live, too :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
"Jeff Layman" writes:

You'll be saying next that you don't need to sterilise pots before
sowing seeds in them. ;-)

In general, you don't. There is fairly little point in doing so if
(a) there wasn't a problem last time you used them and (b) you are
putting unsterilised compost in them. But that wasn't my point.

The mycelium that appears on compost will correspond to a saprophyte;
virtually the only organisms that cause trouble are parasites; they
don't overlap all that much.

I don't understand. Are you saying that the fungi which cause damping-off
are parasites? Did you mean pathogens?


If you want to get rid of all such things, you need to sterilise
all pots and compost, either by autoclaving (say, 200 Celsius for
20 minutes) or by using an effective disinfecting agent (such as
concentrated formaldehyde), and maintain sterile conditions
thereafter. Most people don't go that far ....

Actually, I agree with you - I haven't disinfected pots in years. I just
give them a quick wash with soapy water - more of a cosmetic thing than
anything else.

Pythium and Phytophthora know where you live...

Well, yes - and they know where you and David live, too :-)

And everybody else in the newsgroup...

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

In article ,
"Jeff Layman" writes:
|
| The mycelium that appears on compost will correspond to a saprophyte;
| virtually the only organisms that cause trouble are parasites; they
| don't overlap all that much.
|
| I don't understand. Are you saying that the fungi which cause damping-off
| are parasites? Did you mean pathogens?

There is a difference? Seriously. The difference betwen a parasite,
a predator and a pathogenic organism is more a matter of religion than
science :-) What I mean is that they live by destroying living plant
cells, and not dead (in this case, probably woody) material.

Some organisms attack both, but not all that many.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
"Jeff Layman" writes:

The mycelium that appears on compost will correspond to a
saprophyte; virtually the only organisms that cause trouble are
parasites; they don't overlap all that much.

I don't understand. Are you saying that the fungi which cause
damping-off are parasites? Did you mean pathogens?

There is a difference? Seriously. The difference betwen a parasite,
a predator and a pathogenic organism is more a matter of religion than
science :-) What I mean is that they live by destroying living plant
cells, and not dead (in this case, probably woody) material.

Some organisms attack both, but not all that many.

There is a great difference.

Parasites will not be pathogens if they remain below a level which is
pathogenic. You may have a tapeworm or other intestinal parasites of which
you are completely unaware because they have absolutely no effect. You may
be eating more to compensate for what they are taking for their own
purposes, but that's all. Of course, if you get a heavy infestation, you
will suffer malnutrition. Then they may be considered pathogenic.

I admit that the difference between a parasite and predator is more vague.
However, a parasite tends to be passive, while a predator is active. In
addition, a parasite may not even harm its host. A predator tends towards
lethality...

As far as the plant world goes, fungi can fill almost every niche -
saprophytes, pathogens, symbiotes, commensals (? maybe). But perhaps not
predators, although I am happy to be corrected.

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)