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#1
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Compost Crash Course required
To the wise people;
I am potting a large number of nettles (yes the sad truth) for a biological project but I really don't know much about the bought compost I'm using- I've used lots of bags which were moist and crumbly, but I have come across several (same brand) that are very damp, heavy, slimy and foul-smelling. Are these still good to use? The 'damp' bags were mostly at the bottom of my large stack of compost bags, might this have affected them? Thanks for your help! |
#2
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , Milner
writes To the wise people; I am potting a large number of nettles (yes the sad truth) for a biological project but I really don't know much about the bought compost I'm using- I've used lots of bags which were moist and crumbly, but I have come across several (same brand) that are very damp, heavy, slimy and foul-smelling. Are these still good to use? The 'damp' bags were mostly at the bottom of my large stack of compost bags, might this have affected them? Yes, the bags of compost at the bottom have suffered from poor storage, mainly in the form of too little air supply. Open them up and empty them into a pile which can breathe, then the compost should become usable. It may help to add some of the better compost to the affected stuff. I would be interested to know more about the project you are doing with nettles. They are a very valuable and much underestimated plant which when properly used can be very beneficial to gardening. See urg FAQ at: http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/nettle.html -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
#3
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Compost Crash Course required
This is true. They truly are misunderstood plants. Not for certain, but
I believe they are hosts for some butterflies. Some people complain about a stinging nettle. I tell them to id it and don't go near it if it bothers them. Like snakes, leave them alone and they'll be fine and so will oneself. Alan Gould wrote: = I would be interested to know more about the project you are doing with= nettles. They are a very valuable and much underestimated plant which when properly used can be very beneficial to gardening. See urg FAQ at:= = http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/nettle.html -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
#4
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Compost Crash Course required
"J Kolenovsky" wrote in message ... This is true. They truly are misunderstood plants. Not for certain, but I believe they are hosts for some butterflies. Some people complain about a stinging nettle. I tell them to id it and don't go near it if it bothers them. Like snakes, leave them alone and they'll be fine and so will oneself. Fine advice in general, but as with snakes if they are filling up your borders and creeping over the lawn they will eventually stop you using your garden. A weed is just a plant in the wrong place. Nettles are still weeds if in the wrong place. Cheers Dave R |
#5
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , "David W.E. Roberts" writes: | "J Kolenovsky" wrote in message | ... | This is true. They truly are misunderstood plants. Not for certain, but | I believe they are hosts for some butterflies. Some people complain | about a stinging nettle. I tell them to id it and don't go near it if it | bothers them. Like snakes, leave them alone and they'll be fine and so | will oneself. | | Fine advice in general, but as with snakes if they are filling up your | borders and creeping over the lawn they will eventually stop you using your | garden. Why should UK snakes do that? Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#6
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Compost Crash Course required
"Alan Gould" wrote in message ... In article , Milner writes To the wise people; I am potting a large number of nettles (yes the sad truth) for a biological project but I really don't know much about the bought compost I'm using- I've used lots of bags which were moist and crumbly, but I have come across several (same brand) that are very damp, heavy, slimy and foul-smelling. Are these still good to use? The 'damp' bags were mostly at the bottom of my large stack of compost bags, might this have affected them? Yes, the bags of compost at the bottom have suffered from poor storage, mainly in the form of too little air supply. Open them up and empty them into a pile which can breathe, then the compost should become usable. It may help to add some of the better compost to the affected stuff. I would be interested to know more about the project you are doing with nettles. They are a very valuable and much underestimated plant which when properly used can be very beneficial to gardening. See urg FAQ at: http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/nettle.html -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. Thanks for your help! I will do as you say to let them breathe, how long might this take before the compost becomes useable? I actually did empty one 'damp' bag into a wheelbarrow and took it outside to see if I could make it dry out, but unfortunately it started hailing yesterday afternoon :-( I also have some bags (of a different brand) of manure, which were stored below the bags of compost in the large stack, on opening one of these I also found it to be very damp and heavy. From what you have said I suspect that these have also suffered from poor storage, but I'm not really sure what to expect from manure. Would these bags also benefit from emptying into a pile? As a matter of fact, would you expect manure to be useful for growing compost? My supervisor suggested that nettles would grow well in it because of high nitrogen content. My project is actually about insect parasitism; I am investigating the abilities of aphid parasites to attack colonies of aphids that are different distances from large populations of aphids. To this effect I am planting nettles in pots in a greenhouse, and when they've grown up a bit I will inoculate nettle aphids onto their leaves to establish aphid colonies. The pots (acting as habitat fragments) will then be put out in pasture fields at different distances from the edge of a woodland (where there are large numbers of nettles, aphids and parasites). The idea is that the pots closest to the woodland will be quickly be attacked by parasites, while those further away will take longer, and those furthest away will remain uninfected.. Phew! The trouble is I started off without much practical knowledge of how to deal with the plants-- I'm just now busy digesting "If you are just starting out in gardening" :-) Milner |
#7
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , "Milner" writes: | | Thanks for your help! I will do as you say to let them breathe, how long | might this take before the compost becomes useable? I actually did empty | one 'damp' bag into a wheelbarrow and took it outside to see if I could make | it dry out, but unfortunately it started hailing yesterday afternoon :-( It depends on how thinly it is spread, the temperature and so on. Hours to weeks - sorry. | I also have some bags (of a different brand) of manure, which were stored | below the bags of compost in the large stack, on opening one of these I also | found it to be very damp and heavy. From what you have said I suspect that | these have also suffered from poor storage, but I'm not really sure what to | expect from manure. Would these bags also benefit from emptying into a | pile? As a matter of fact, would you expect manure to be useful for growing | compost? My supervisor suggested that nettles would grow well in it because | of high nitrogen content. Yes, but it is more the phosphorus than the nitrogen. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#8
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Compost Crash Course required
"Milner" wrote in
: I also have some bags (of a different brand) of manure, which were stored below the bags of compost in the large stack, on opening one of these I also found it to be very damp and heavy. From what you have said I suspect that these have also suffered from poor storage, but I'm not really sure what to expect from manure. Would these bags also benefit from emptying into a pile? As a matter of fact, would you expect manure to be useful for growing compost? My supervisor suggested that nettles would grow well in it because of high nitrogen content. Yes. Spent last weekend trying to disentangle nettles from an area of garden where a lot of elderly deer manure had been dumped. Gawd it was a task. Like most plants though, it would need to be well-rotted manure, not the fresh stuff. Manure is damp and heavy by default, so the stuff you have may not be badly stored but just ready for use. Compost that has 'gone off' sometimes smells kind of mushroomy. This may be stupidly obvious, but just in case - you probably want to be fairly sure that all the planting medium is as similar as possible - I dunno about nettles, but other plants seem to be more prone to aphid attack in some soils than others. I think it's usually to do with how quickly it dries out. Victoria |
#9
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Compost Crash Course required
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "Milner" writes: | | Thanks for your help! I will do as you say to let them breathe, how long | might this take before the compost becomes useable? I actually did empty | one 'damp' bag into a wheelbarrow and took it outside to see if I could make | it dry out, but unfortunately it started hailing yesterday afternoon :-( It depends on how thinly it is spread, the temperature and so on. Hours to weeks - sorry. Right I have now put the stuff into several wheelbarrows (one bag each) so that I can wheel them into the greenhouse when it rains, but otherwise I am leaving them outside. How long do you think it might take? |
#10
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Compost Crash Course required
"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , "David W.E. Roberts" writes: | "J Kolenovsky" wrote in message | ... | This is true. They truly are misunderstood plants. Not for certain, but | I believe they are hosts for some butterflies. Some people complain | about a stinging nettle. I tell them to id it and don't go near it if it | bothers them. Like snakes, leave them alone and they'll be fine and so | will oneself. | | Fine advice in general, but as with snakes if they are filling up your | borders and creeping over the lawn they will eventually stop you using your | garden. Why should UK snakes do that? Regards, Nick Maclaren. They won't if you leave them alone (allegedly). Hang on a minute? What's that awful sound?? .. .. .. I think it's an analogy being stretched beyond all recognition! Cheers Dave R |
#11
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , "David W.E. Roberts" writes: | | | Fine advice in general, but as with snakes if they are filling up your | | borders and creeping over the lawn they will eventually stop you using | your | | garden. | | Why should UK snakes do that? | | They won't if you leave them alone (allegedly). Well, they won't, even if you don't. Almost all UK snakes are cuddly creatures, and ideal for encouraging in the garden. | Hang on a minute? | What's that awful sound?? | . | . | . | I think it's an analogy being stretched beyond all recognition! Sproinnggg!!!!! Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#12
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , "Milner" writes: | | Right I have now put the stuff into several wheelbarrows (one bag each) so | that I can wheel them into the greenhouse when it rains, but otherwise I am | leaving them outside. How long do you think it might take? Turn it over when the top starts to dry out, and it might be just a few days - but that all depends on the weather. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#13
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Compost Crash Course required
In article , Milner
writes Phew! The trouble is I started off without much practical knowledge of how to deal with the plants-- I'm just now busy digesting "If you are just starting out in gardening" :-) Thanks for the information, I wish you well with your project. -- Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs. |
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