getting homemade compost weed free

[bluebellParticipant]

I have produced my first batch of homemade potting compost from 2 year old rotted cow manure, however as soon as I started sowing in it I find that weed seeds are germinating. I don’t have access to heat treat the compost, which I believe is what commercial growers do. So how do I achieve something that puts energy in to plants not weeds?

[charlesModerator]

 Good effort, and… are there so many you can’t pull them as soon as seen?
Commercially, composts have usually got so hot that weed seeds are dead, but so is the life as well, especially fungi. That is why I don’t like heat treating compost to kill weed seeds, but some people do it. I have been pulling weeds out of plants in homemade compost.

[davidkParticipant]

Yes Bluebell we all have this & me too I reckon I get diff. weeds from the same field in different years, this year I’ve got grass, the beauty is get-in-quick & it’s doddle to weed, Next year or this if you put it on before the winter it’s usually gone or nearly so & it’s even easier, but as Charles says elsewhere, the weeds are nothing compared to those who dig. My weeds this are pathetic compared to last year., & much easier to pull up! What I’m saying is next year will be even easier. Wish I had 2yr old stuff!

[bluebellParticipant]

Thanks both. So I need to swot up on identifying small weed seedlings as opposed to what I have sown – not too hard with onions, may be significantly harder with lettuce.

[StringfellowParticipant]

I put 2-3 batches of homemade potting compost into my window sill heated propagator, back in January, to see what might come up. Luckily for me, very little – an odd grass or two. I’m far from an expert in recognising plants in general, let alone at the seedling stage, but it did help me get some idea of spotting the desired from the not so.

Hope y’all enjoying this weather…

[charlesModerator]

 You could sow your lettuce in a clump or line in a seed tray, then prick out, easy to spot all the lettuce seedlings germinating together.

[bluebellParticipant]

I only sow small quantities so using a standard seed tray is not something I had considered – Usually use 1/2 seed trays with small modules – 4 varieties of lettuce per 1/2 tray.

However it would appear that weed seed is generally very quick to germinate, so (hopefully) easy to spot in that way.

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