Compost Silt ???

[ID jit]

Have been playing with various mixes for SIPs, looking and drainage vs moisture retention for the most part.

Ended up with a couple of gallons of fine mulchy compost that had pretty much dried out in a bucket. The material isn't completely composted; small bits and pieces are recognizable as a bit of leaf or stem etc, and they are all small, soft and fragile.

Out of curiosity I ran the 2 gallons or so though a window screen. Ended up with this powdery silt in the collection container.

Since silt tend to clog things up and hinder drainage, is this the kind of stuff I should exclude from a mix and relegate solely to the "fertilizer strip" in my SIPs, or what should I do with it?

The silt would not have sifted out is the compost had not dried out, and I am pretty sure it would wash out with a good watering.

Thanks much

[ccar2000]

Can you please tell me what an SIP is?

[ID jit]

Sip = Sub-irrigated planter, earth box, wicking box and several other names.

This will explain it to you.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 21&t=60946

[ccar2000]

Ha ha, I have some of these that are a plastic pot with a rubber cork in the rim where the water goes. Twenty years ago they were called self watering pots. Gotta keep up with the moder verbiage, right? Thanks for the lesson.

So, my opinion regarding your question. Put the silt in a garden bed or seed starting tray.

[ID jit]

All the different names for them confused the hell out of me for a while... kept trying to figure out what the difference was between them all.... talk about a novice blunder. I call them SIPs now because it is easier to type.

The silt..... add water and watch in compact down nicely. Killed a bunch of strawberry plants in November with a material like that. Not sure if it is any good anymore... dried out so the microbes are cone, has sat around long enough for the N to have dissipated, thing what it has become is fine particulate carbon stuff with maybe a little P, K and trace elements.

Am kind of fine particulate shy after killing 20 or so strawberry plants with it not so long ago.

[ButterflyLady29]

Do you garden in the ground or is everything in the planters? If you garden in the ground dump the fine particulates there.

[ID jit]

Thanks. Makes sense.