How to compost weeds without actually planting

For those unfamiliar with composting, understanding what goes in and what goes out can be daunting. Also, if you’re making compost, you may be doing other things in the garden, such as gardening or landscaping. In other words, we are dealing with weeds.

Not surprisingly, it raises the question of whether composting is possible. Weeds that pull without accidentally planting or growing further. Fortunately, that’s what you need to know.

How to compost weeds

Regarding composting of weeds, Linda Brewer, Oregon State University Extension Instructor, has rules: Do not put anything you don’t need anymore, such as weed seeds or diseased plant tissue, into the compost pile. To avoid that, she takes the time to remove seeds (even immature ones) and weed roots before composting and put them in the trash instead.

For weed roots, you can also try A process called “drying” This is essentially burning your roots using the heat from the sun. Instead of throwing them away, put your weed roots on concrete or galvanized iron — the idea is to keep them away from the soil. Let them bake there for 2-3 weeks in the summer, and then the roots must be hard and safe to include in your compost pile.

Weeds to avoid composting altogether

There are some weeds that are very good at spreading, so even if you remove the seeds, you can somehow find a way to grow (and often do). Some examples of these are:

• Horsetail (equisetum)
• Bindweed
• Canadian thistle
• morning glory
• Buttercup
• Bermudagrass
• Oxalis
• Couch
• Digitaria ciliaris

If you have Hot compost pile, Heat may be sufficient to prevent the seeds and roots of these weeds from growing. However, most home gardeners have piles of cold compost, so it is best to exclude these weeds.