A city up here picks trees up after December and mulches them along with the grass and sticks that people dump there. It's free for the taking, but it isn't high quality stuff. It seems to get a coating on it after some time that causes water to bead up and roll off the mulch.
If I were to get a couple loads of this "mulch" and let it sit until next year, could it make a good compost? Maybe mix in some horse manure?
Any thoughts appreciated!
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stella1751
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If it's free, I would take it. Our city offers the same thing, on a give-greens/take-greens pound-for-pound basis. I don't know why it repels moisture like it does, but after a while, it starts to decompose into some really decent enriched soil. I got about 1,500 pounds last summer, carrying it home in trash bags in my car. The stuff that was exposed to the snow over the winter was really pretty good this spring!
I wish I had a pickup truck. I would get tons of it and let it compost a while longer. (They call it compost, but it's really just soil and tree chips mixed together.) Maybe you could call them and find out how they process it?
I wish I had a pickup truck. I would get tons of it and let it compost a while longer. (They call it compost, but it's really just soil and tree chips mixed together.) Maybe you could call them and find out how they process it?
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smokensqueal
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GRDrip, If in need of the free stuff it's not a bad deal but you have to take into consideration a few things.
Remember it's made up of community "stuff". This stuff could have different types of pesticides or fertilizers on it depending on what the community puts on their yards and trees. But most of that stuff will work it's way out with time.
Also, if someone was cleaning up brush areas in the community you could end up with a lot of weed seeds or even a good case of poison ivy/oak. While the weed thing just might end up as a lot of work it may be worth it since it's free.
My though would be pick some up go ahead and compost it like you planned (but keep it separate from your home made compost) and use it for your non edible plants (non fruit trees, shrubs, flowers). If you can get the pile hot enough you may not need to worry much about the weed seeds either.
I wish the towns around me would do something like that. I would definitely use it on my trees after a good composting. But all they do is pile it up and burn it or bring it to the dump.
Remember it's made up of community "stuff". This stuff could have different types of pesticides or fertilizers on it depending on what the community puts on their yards and trees. But most of that stuff will work it's way out with time.
Also, if someone was cleaning up brush areas in the community you could end up with a lot of weed seeds or even a good case of poison ivy/oak. While the weed thing just might end up as a lot of work it may be worth it since it's free.
My though would be pick some up go ahead and compost it like you planned (but keep it separate from your home made compost) and use it for your non edible plants (non fruit trees, shrubs, flowers). If you can get the pile hot enough you may not need to worry much about the weed seeds either.
I wish the towns around me would do something like that. I would definitely use it on my trees after a good composting. But all they do is pile it up and burn it or bring it to the dump.
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The Helpful Gardener
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Alsp good to remember that a lot of what gets cut is diseased wood; we got the free mulch in our town and used it for mulch (at DW's insistance; "It's Free!") and I am still living with that, with artillery fungus, leaf spot and other things, two years later. As a compost addition it ios likely fine (compost doesn't allow much for single species dominance) but you might be getting some stuff you don't want as well. Just keep that in mind... but better composted than as mulch...
HG
HG
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stella1751
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HG wrote: 
That explains much. Somehow, somewhere, I picked up septoria leaf spot. I couldn't figure it out. My plants never develop diseases, not here, not with healthy soil. Now I know. I used my city's ostensible compost to mulch. Duhwe got the free mulch in our town and used it for mulch (at DW's insistance; "It's Free!") and I am still living with that, with artillery fungus, leaf spot and other things, two years later.
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gixxerific
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I think you misunderstood HG (forgive me if I'm wrong). But the idea was mulch maybe not so god, but compost probably good. The composting process, if done properly, should take care of all those nasty little things you don't want.stella1751 wrote: That explains much. Somehow, somewhere, I picked up septoria leaf spot. I couldn't figure it out. My plants never develop diseases, not here, not with healthy soil. Now I know. I used my city's ostensible compost to mulch. Duh
Right HG?
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The Helpful Gardener
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Gixx, can't rule out Stella's suspicion without testing and assay; could very well be the issue. Good composting at the industrial/municipal level is tricky and often not well done. Real pros do exist, but usually only in bigger burgs... I think we will start to see more certification and training to go wioth it, but I think it's pretty loose out there now, with the possible exception of USCC membership, but that's voluntary...
HG
HG
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stella1751
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Yeah. I called the compost "ostensible" because it was pretty much dry organic material mixed with soil. It is set out in huge piles about 10' to 15' high. If you're the first there, as was the case with me, you get the cool, uncomposted material from the outside. It wasn't until my third or fourth trip that I learned to dig deep within the pile to find the material with heat