Just before I moved in to my house 7 years ago a tree in the front garden
was felled and treated to kill it.

I have now dug up the parts of the stump above ground level as it is
starting to rot. The wood was very crumbly, even pulpy in parts, is it safe
to use this wood in my compost heap?

TIA

Andrew

In article qypvc.63$An.6@newsfe6-win, Andrew info@REMOVEardwebALLdesi
gnCAPITALS.co.uk writes
Just before I moved in to my house 7 years ago a tree in the front garden
was felled and treated to kill it.

I have now dug up the parts of the stump above ground level as it is
starting to rot. The wood was very crumbly, even pulpy in parts, is it safe
to use this wood in my compost heap?

No, very risky. Not worth it for the amount of compost gained.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article ,
Alan Gould wrote:
In article qypvc.63$An.6@newsfe6-win, Andrew info@REMOVEardwebALLdesi
gnCAPITALS.co.uk writes
Just before I moved in to my house 7 years ago a tree in the front garden
was felled and treated to kill it.

I have now dug up the parts of the stump above ground level as it is
starting to rot. The wood was very crumbly, even pulpy in parts, is it safe
to use this wood in my compost heap?

No, very risky. Not worth it for the amount of compost gained.

Oh, come off it! That is scientific nonsense. Depending on what it
was treated with, there is SOME chance of a residue, but that is
small. And then there is another small chance that such a residue
would cause significant damage to plant roots. "Very risky" is
nonsense - the risk is somewhere between very small indeed and nil.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

Oh, come off it! That is scientific nonsense. Depending on what it
was treated with, there is SOME chance of a residue, but that is
small. And then there is another small chance that such a residue
would cause significant damage to plant roots. "Very risky" is
nonsense - the risk is somewhere between very small indeed and nil.

I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article , Alan Gould writes:
| In article , Nick Maclaren
| writes
|
| Oh, come off it! That is scientific nonsense. Depending on what it
| was treated with, there is SOME chance of a residue, but that is
| small. And then there is another small chance that such a residue
| would cause significant damage to plant roots. "Very risky" is
| nonsense - the risk is somewhere between very small indeed and nil.
|
| I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
| been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.

Ah. Sorry for misunderstanding you.

But that does make any more sense. Fungi don't produce spores
from mycelium, but only from fruiting bodies, and the spores are
almost always distributed by the wind. So, if the fungi did
sporulate, the spores will be all over the garden anyway - which
is the normal state, and why most of the isolation approaches to
fungal containment are such scientific nonsense.

As far as the mycelium goes, you CAN transfer it like that, but it
is pretty rare for a pathogenic fungus to transfer except more or
less by direct root contact. The chance of it surviving in a
compost heap and then infecting plants is very small indeed - if
he DOES have such a fungal infection, we can expect an epidemic
shortly ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Alan Gould wrote in message ...
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

Oh, come off it! That is scientific nonsense. Depending on what it
was treated with, there is SOME chance of a residue, but that is
small. And then there is another small chance that such a residue
would cause significant damage to plant roots. "Very risky" is
nonsense - the risk is somewhere between very small indeed and nil.

I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.

Sensible caution, I'd say. But if the tree _did_ die of a fungal
infection (and that's _if_), those spores are dotted around the whole
neighbourhood already. If your compost-heap's a good one, or if you
leave it a long time, I wouldn't hesitate to mix in the already
rotting material from the old tree. Best to chuck in some extra
nitrogen.

What makes me uncomfortable -- unduly so, according to some here -- is
burying undecayed wood.

Mike.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
| I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
| been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.

Ah. Sorry for misunderstanding you.

But that does make any more sense. Fungi don't produce spores
from mycelium, but only from fruiting bodies, and the spores are
almost always distributed by the wind. So, if the fungi did
sporulate, the spores will be all over the garden anyway - which
is the normal state, and why most of the isolation approaches to
fungal containment are such scientific nonsense.

As far as the mycelium goes, you CAN transfer it like that, but it
is pretty rare for a pathogenic fungus to transfer except more or
less by direct root contact. The chance of it surviving in a
compost heap and then infecting plants is very small indeed - if
he DOES have such a fungal infection, we can expect an epidemic
shortly ....

Thank you for the further details. I referred to fungal spores, but
trees may contract many other diseases as well as fungal. As you have
already mentioned, those which die will often have been treated with
substances not conducive to healthy organic compost making, in however
small quantities. As I follow organic gardening principles, I don't use
diseased or rotted parts of tress for compost making and I advise others
accordingly. By the same token I don't use diseased herbage such as e.g.
blighted potato haulms or club-root infected brassicas etc. in
composting. It just seems a commonsense approach to me.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
Alan Gould wrote in message
...
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

Oh, come off it! That is scientific nonsense. Depending on what it
was treated with, there is SOME chance of a residue, but that is
small. And then there is another small chance that such a residue
would cause significant damage to plant roots. "Very risky" is
nonsense - the risk is somewhere between very small indeed and nil.

I was thinking more about from what the tree died than with what it had
been treated. Fungal spores can live on in decaying material for ages.

Sensible caution, I'd say. But if the tree _did_ die of a fungal
infection (and that's _if_), those spores are dotted around the whole
neighbourhood already. If your compost-heap's a good one, or if you
leave it a long time, I wouldn't hesitate to mix in the already
rotting material from the old tree. Best to chuck in some extra
nitrogen.

What makes me uncomfortable -- unduly so, according to some here -- is
burying undecayed wood.

Ocassionally, the splinters of timber used to make the compost bins snaps
off, or some bits of fencing wood has found its way into the heap. Later, on
finding such things I note the do not really rot down, but boy oh boy, the
worms sure do seem to find them attractive.

Patrick.

"tuin man" wrote in message ...
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
[...]
What makes me uncomfortable -- unduly so, according to some here -- is
burying undecayed wood.

Ocassionally, the splinters of timber used to make the compost bins snaps
off, or some bits of fencing wood has found its way into the heap. Later, on
finding such things I note the do not really rot down, but boy oh boy, the
worms sure do seem to find them attractive.

A piece of wood is likely to be the last thing in the heap to dry out,
and under it's a nice cool place to hide if you're a tasty worm.

Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
"tuin man" wrote in message
...
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
[...]
What makes me uncomfortable -- unduly so, according to some here -- is
burying undecayed wood.

Ocassionally, the splinters of timber used to make the compost bins
snaps
off, or some bits of fencing wood has found its way into the heap.
Later, on
finding such things I note the do not really rot down, but boy oh boy,
the
worms sure do seem to find them attractive.

A piece of wood is likely to be the last thing in the heap to dry out,
and under it's a nice cool place to hide if you're a tasty worm.

Mike.

Naturally (-: In fact swarming all over it. Lovely little red worms
Not to bothered about them nasty chemicals then are they.
What I forgot to mention was more of a question;
Might this ever so special chemical that was applied, be nothing more than
some ammonia-sulphate placed into drilled out holes, or notches around the
cambium layer, for the sole purpose of impressing a customer, or an odd
treatment so that a tree, which is already dead, needs such treatment to
prevent the stump from re-sproughting??

Patrick