Regarding the use of mushroom compost to topdress.....the last time I bought mushroom compost in bulk, as your picture shows, it was FULL of weed seeds, which sprouted shortly, and my entire garden was full of weeds! I have since used the bagged mushroom compost from the Rotarty Garden sale, but hate to have all the plastic to throw away. Any suggestions on how to avoid weed seeds in the bulk?
We had the same experience here at the gardens with bulk compost and subsequent weed issues and I attribute it to a pile that didn't develop enough heat (to kill dormant seeds). I hope I'm not in trouble at home with that situation. The other approach could be to use a pre-emergent control like Preen in conjunction with the application of the compost, thereby keeping the seeds from actively developing. Timing would be important but if you intend to avoid chemicals, you would have to verify that the bulk compost is from an older, frequently "turned" pile. Good observation and I agree with your thoughts on our plasticized world!
April 21, 2009 at 12:55 PM
[Image] We had rain in this area from Saturday night thru this morning. I thought we'd have a "lost day" out in the gardens as I expected it to rain all day. We actually had some sunlight and it's been fairly dry for most of the day. Above is a picture of our observation dec[Image]k with surrounding daffodils. This structure offers "all-accessible" fishing and affords a nice view of the arched bridge, Japanese garden and gazebo. I did a presention for the Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary and this morning, some of the ladies and I went on a little tour of the gardens. We noticed (and appreciated) the very early blooming Rhododendron dauricum overlooking the zig-zag bridge. Native to E. Siberia, Mongolia, Northern China and Japan, this rhododendron is bone hardy for us although I wish we just had more!
Great Grumpy turnout today despite the threat of rain. Dick P. and Rollie picked up our memorial bricks while the carpenters continued to work on obelisks and other projects. Dave T., Jim D., Bob A. and Vern are a great team. Dick H., Del, Terry T. and Urban helped paint and do various indoor projects while Gary went out solo and mulched roses in the formal gardens. Maury, Charlie and Bob T. were also here. Janice and Marianne have bounced inside and out and worked on their own respective projects while Marv & Terry finished filling all our containers with potting mix and went on a much needed shopping trip for supplies. Dr. Gredler is doing more lawn work and Larry's been working on some water spigots out in the garden. I'm glad this wasn't a lost day at all! Nice shot below of 'Stresa' tulips blooming in our English cottage garden today. See the bottom shot for a look at my home gardening project. The image is of 10 cubic yards of mushroom compost in my driveway. Every three years, the wife and I topdress our entire garden with 1" or so of this material and the investment has been worth it. We're glad we spread so much prior to the rains and will finish this weekend. [Image] [Image]
posted by Mark Dwyer, Director of Horticulture, Rotary Botanical Gardens at 2:20 PM on Apr 20, 2009
"Not A Totally Lost Day"
2 Comments -
Regarding the use of mushroom compost to topdress.....the last time I bought mushroom compost in bulk, as your picture shows, it was FULL of weed seeds, which sprouted shortly, and my entire garden was full of weeds! I have since used the bagged mushroom compost from the Rotarty Garden sale, but hate to have all the plastic to throw away. Any suggestions on how to avoid weed seeds in the bulk?
April 21, 2009 at 12:15 PM
We had the same experience here at the gardens with bulk compost and subsequent weed issues and I attribute it to a pile that didn't develop enough heat (to kill dormant seeds). I hope I'm not in trouble at home with that situation. The other approach could be to use a pre-emergent control like Preen in conjunction with the application of the compost, thereby keeping the seeds from actively developing. Timing would be important but if you intend to avoid chemicals, you would have to verify that the bulk compost is from an older, frequently "turned" pile. Good observation and I agree with your thoughts on our plasticized world!
April 21, 2009 at 12:55 PM