Seed-laden weed ashes in compost

[RyNJ]

I've got A LOT of these.

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x323/RyNJ/DSC01090.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x323/RyNJ/DSC01089.jpg[/img]

Pounds of them. So I'd like to use them in some way, if I can. I'm thinking of burning them, to try to destroy as many seeds as possible, and then add to my compost, but I don't know if the seeds are actually heat-activated. If anyone can identify the species of grass, and let me know if the seeds are heat-activated or not, that would be great!

[rainbowgardener]

Personally I put stuff like that in my compost all the time. Cover it up thoroughly with browns (fall leaves, shredded paper) and let it cook til spring. I don't get weeds sprouting from my compost. I will say other people are a lot more careful about that than I am; I'm the lazy gardener....

[john gault]

Personally I put stuff like that in my compost all the time. Cover it up thoroughly with browns (fall leaves, shredded paper) and let it cook til spring. I don't get weeds sprouting from my compost. I will say other people are a lot more careful about that than I am; I'm the lazy gardener....

Pretty much the same here. It would especially be a waste of time to do anything elaborate, since my neighbors all have them in their yards, so I get them from time to time regardless. One thing I've notice with those things is that there's a line in my yard in which they do not cross (grow) and that line is drawn by my shade trees.

[toxcrusadr]

I have been known to burn weeds full of seeds when it seems there is more seed there than the amount of organic matter can justify. For example this summer I had weeds coming up in my rock driveway, they went to seed and got brown in the heat before I could deal with them. So I burnt it off hoping to stop the cycle.

Whether the seeds are killed by the heat all depends on the fire, too. A smoldering grass fire through the woods will leave many alive, a hot bonfire/weenie roast will not!

[RyNJ]

The main reason I asked is 'cause I have a lot of greens, and not many browns, so I was gonna make some by means of these ashes (besides these, little brush to remove, and I've been using nearly all my grass clippings as mulch). I threw a bunch in a rip roarin' fire last night, and added them to my pile this morning.

But I'm lazy too, so this was all good advice Once I do have a lot of leaves and dead plants, I'm probably gonna be really low on greens, but at least then I'll still be able to supply nitrogen.

[toxcrusadr]

Ash isn't really a brown, since the carbon and nitrogen are essentially gone and all you have left is mineral matter. You can of course add it to your compost pile in small amounts, but you will still need browns.