compost problem.
My largest and fullest compost heap was doing beautifully, the other day I
took the vinyl cover off it and put some holes in it with a stake, its too full and too deep for me to empty and turn, it's made up of four 4'palletts. Anyway, when I took the cover off and put the holes in, steam (for want of a better word!) came out through all the holes. I was really pleased, thought I was obviously doing something right. However...today I took the vinyl off to put a layer of hay on top and found to my astonishment loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Thanks again -- Shan (Ireland) http://ukdiscus.com/main.htm |
compost problem.
No compost should be fine
You do need to turn it out into a 2nd bin though and sprinkle Sulphate of ammonia and a little lime on each layer Give it a dousing of water and cover and let it finish off for a couple of months Best to make 3.5 sided bins with top half of one side removable then its easy to fork out into another bin I make mine from pallets but i pull them apart and reconstruct with solid sides, bases and lids to keep out rats etc "shannie" wrote in message ... My largest and fullest compost heap was doing beautifully, the other day I took the vinyl cover off it and put some holes in it with a stake, its too full and too deep for me to empty and turn, it's made up of four 4'palletts. Anyway, when I took the cover off and put the holes in, steam (for want of a better word!) came out through all the holes. I was really pleased, thought I was obviously doing something right. However...today I took the vinyl off to put a layer of hay on top and found to my astonishment loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Thanks again -- Shan (Ireland) http://ukdiscus.com/main.htm |
compost problem.
Snip
. . . . . . However...today I took the vinyl off to put a layer of hay on top and found to my astonishment loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Thanks again -- Shan, Without fungi we would be in a really sorry state. Just imagine, nothing would rot very well. It's OK and just what you need in a composter. Sounds like you've put horse manure in there. Regards Ron |
compost problem.
In message , shannie
writes My largest and fullest compost heap was doing beautifully, the other day I took the vinyl cover off it and put some holes in it with a stake, its too full and too deep for me to empty and turn, it's made up of four 4'palletts. Anyway, when I took the cover off and put the holes in, steam (for want of a better word!) came out through all the holes. I was really pleased, thought I was obviously doing something right. However...today I took the vinyl off to put a layer of hay on top and found to my astonishment loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Fungi are the principal mechanism for rotting down dead plants and animals. If it were not for them we would be literally submerged in dead things. There is nothing wrong with your compost heap if it gets a decent head of steam up it will see off most weed seeds. Worth turning the top few inches into the middle though otherwise they will not get cooked enough. I expect the fungi survived in there and then colonised the heap. Spent mushroom compost is often used as a cheap soil conditioner. Unusual to have then form fruiting bodies on your compost heap - worth looking them up in a reference book to see if you have anything there worth eating. Despite all the advice about what works and what doesn't I find that as long as I add a couple of cubic metres at a time it really doesn't matter what it is. The heap gets so hot after a few days that it all rots down. I do try to put some woody stuff inbetween the grass cuttings if possible. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
compost problem.
In message , shannie
writes My largest and fullest compost heap was doing beautifully, the other day I took the vinyl cover off it and put some holes in it with a stake, its too full and too deep for me to empty and turn, it's made up of four 4'palletts. Anyway, when I took the cover off and put the holes in, steam (for want of a better word!) came out through all the holes. I was really pleased, thought I was obviously doing something right. However...today I took the vinyl off to put a layer of hay on top and found to my astonishment loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Fungi are the principal mechanism for rotting down dead plants and animals. If it were not for them we would be literally submerged in dead things. There is nothing wrong with your compost heap if it gets a decent head of steam up it will see off most weed seeds. Worth turning the top few inches into the middle though otherwise they will not get cooked enough. I expect the fungi survived in there and then colonised the heap. Spent mushroom compost is often used as a cheap soil conditioner. Unusual to have then form fruiting bodies on your compost heap - worth looking them up in a reference book to see if you have anything there worth eating. Despite all the advice about what works and what doesn't I find that as long as I add a couple of cubic metres at a time it really doesn't matter what it is. The heap gets so hot after a few days that it all rots down. I do try to put some woody stuff inbetween the grass cuttings if possible. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
compost problem.
"Ron" wrote in message ... found loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Thanks again -- Shan, Without fungi we would be in a really sorry state. Just imagine, nothing would rot very well. It's OK and just what you need in a composter. Sounds like you've put horse manure in there. Thanks Ron, no horse manure, some cow manure, lots of rabbit and guinea pig droppings and fresh chicken manure...maybe thats where it came from. Regards Ron |
compost problem.
My thanks to all who replied and put my mind at ease. Learning new stuff every day :) Shannie |
compost problem.
"Ron" wrote in message ... found loads and loads of mushrooms(?) fungus(?) toadstools(?) no idea what they are!..They stand about 6"high and are grey with an open flat grey/black top on them. Where on earth did these come from? and how, if it were hot enough to create steam did they survive?...will they go or am I stuck with a large heap of unusable compost? :( Thanks again -- Shan, Without fungi we would be in a really sorry state. Just imagine, nothing would rot very well. It's OK and just what you need in a composter. Sounds like you've put horse manure in there. Thanks Ron, no horse manure, some cow manure, lots of rabbit and guinea pig droppings and fresh chicken manure...maybe thats where it came from. Regards Ron |
compost problem.
My thanks to all who replied and put my mind at ease. Learning new stuff every day :) Shannie |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:57 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter