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Old 07-04-2004, 02:33 AM
Milner
 
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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!


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Old 07-04-2004, 07:03 AM
Alan Gould
 
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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.
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Old 07-04-2004, 02:04 PM
J Kolenovsky
 
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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
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Old 07-04-2004, 02:05 PM
David W.E. Roberts
 
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"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


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Old 07-04-2004, 02:06 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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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.


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Old 07-04-2004, 03:09 PM
Milner
 
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"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


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Old 07-04-2004, 04:04 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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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.
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Old 07-04-2004, 04:05 PM
Victoria Clare
 
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"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
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Old 07-04-2004, 07:04 PM
Milner
 
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"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?


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Old 07-04-2004, 07:05 PM
David W.E. Roberts
 
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"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




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Old 07-04-2004, 07:07 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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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.
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Old 07-04-2004, 07:08 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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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.
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Old 07-04-2004, 08:04 PM
Alan Gould
 
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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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