Composting the nasties

[Pompeylottie]

We are about to lose our communal compost heap at our lottie, we are not allowed to have bonfires, can anyone advise me please how we can compost our bindweed, couch grass and other stubborn weeds?
Thank you

[BFG]

Either drown in water, or let them dry rot in an empty bucket with a weight on top.

Then you can use them as fertiliser. And apparently couch grass is good for preventing damping off in seedlings.

[Two_Sheds]

like BFG says: drown them for a few weeks in a bucket. Or if it's high summer, crisp them in the sunshine, until brown & dead.

[PAULW]

Put them in a plastic carrier bag and take them home and put them in the bin.

[SueA]

You can drown them as the others have suggested, just be aware that they may smell awful but they do make a useful plant food after fermenting when diluted with water. Other than that do you not have a compost heap at home, as long as it gets hot enough it should kill them off. Or do you have a council 'green waste' bin collection in your area or a local council recycling/rubbish dump where you could all club together & take a car full every so often?

[Two_Sheds]

do you not have a compost heap at home, as long as it gets hot enough it should kill them off.

No, don't even risk it. Couch grass and bindweed will grow quite happily in a home compost bin

[SarzWix]

I usually leave them to dry out and then put them in a seperate compost bin - I've got a couple of square fully enclosed plastic ones, sitting on corrugated plastic, which totally block the light. So, if by any chance the roots aren't fully dead & start to grow, there's nowhere for them to go and so they die off eventually. I've got one that's over a year old, and there was some regrowth but it's given up now. I'll leave it til spring, and hopefully it'll be safe to use. (I might just sift it, to be on the safe side )

[Twinsane]

We take ours home and either drown them or put them in the council compost bin.

[Pompeylottie]

Thanks you for all your suggestions, we have our own compost pile on the plot where all home and lottie veg waste goes but we are loathe to put bindweed on it as we had heard it doesn't rot down. We co-run the allotment shop and know we are going to get loads of complaints from plot holders when the communal heap goes, but it is the council's decision, not ours. We are planning information to give them advising what they can do. To be honest it is a pain - especially for people either side who get the rats and spillage, and its grossly misused with bricks, plastic and rubbish put in it. Drowing in water seems the best advice then.

[zazen999]

Drowning in water is indeed good; once it is good and dead I dig a hole and bury it straight in the ground. Then plant over it. It keeps the roots nice and wet.

[Snadger]

Stick it in a black plastic bag, tied at the top, and hide it behind the shed for six months!

[binley100]

I've got a fish keep net (from the pound shop...costing guess what..a pound!) I put nasties in that then suspend it in water but till it doesn't look like weeds then empty it out onto my compost bin.

[Lovage]

Drowning doesn't work for all weeds - creeping buttercup thrives in water and can invade ponds.
However if light is excluded everything will eventually die and rot. I use a wooden compost bin lined with a builders bag and covered over. Stuff left for at least a year will be quite usable

[Two_Sheds]

Drowning doesn't work for all weeds - ...
However if light is excluded everything will eventually die

Yes, couch grass will happily grow in water too. I use a bucket of water to drown my perennial weeds, covered with a lid to exclude light.

[SarzWix]

You can always dry it out a bit and then burn it, if you're allowed bonfires? Most perennial weed roots burn quite nicely when they've dried a bit