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bottom of my compost is rooty rooty rooty!!!

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
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by 'Sparagus on May 21, 2006 05:55 AM
Are the roots bad?? Ok, Im a newbie composter. What Im using right now is the bottom of a pile of leaves and garden/kitchen waste, started in Fall 2003, and never turned. Most of it looks really GOOD and my plants seem to like it so far!

But alot of it is held together with a network of roots. The pile is near a big maple tree, and 4 arbs. I started it right on the grass, no removing the sod, no newspaper.... [scaredy]

Anyways, I can sift the good stuff out of the roots, but lots of root bits are getting mixed in. Are they bad, because they are alive??? KWIM?

Thanks for any thoughts!

[flower]
by Longy on May 21, 2006 09:11 AM
The roots won't hurt anything, they'll just break down once you remove the compost. The tree they belong to is stealing the nutrient though so i'd get the stuff up and out. If you don'tt want to use it all, just store it in a plastic bin or a fertilizer bag or two.

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The secret is the soil.
by 'Sparagus on May 22, 2006 02:28 AM
Thank you Longy! My 1 year old loves throwing the root clumps around after I separate out the compost, so I guess it's good for something! [tongue]
by tkhooper on May 22, 2006 11:59 AM
Aren't kids great.

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by 'Sparagus on May 22, 2006 12:40 PM
YES! This morning I noticed she had stuffed the root clumps into the built-in cup holders of my one patio chair. [Big Grin]
by johnCT on May 24, 2006 01:39 AM
I have the same problem with mine and I just deal with it in order to keep the pile were I want it. I've considered making a bottom to my bins with plywood, but I'm going to be moving it soon anyway to what I hope is a better spot.

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John - Zone 6
by njoynit on July 18, 2006 05:11 AM
my sister uses a truckbed liner for composting in.Shes actually aquired 3 of them.I throw my roots back in compost pile....same as them baby taters that grow ongoingly as well.

so your cup holders got insulated huh....I laughed about that one.least you don't have a dog that grabs containers and plays with the plants AND the container.I've learned whats tough.................

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