Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Aug 03, 2010 11:58 am I've just built a new house in the north of Melbourne and I'm now looking at my backyard. The soil here is mostly composed of clay, large clumps of it stick to my gumboots and I have a hard time getting it to dry out. I've been looking at ways to deal with it and I've read that working through it with organic material is a good option. It just so happens I have seven garbage bags of weeds that I pulled out of the front yard. My question is that I need to know what weeds I can compost and what ones I can't. Is there an easy reference for identifying the weeds and and their suitability for composting? I've found this site but it doesn't seem to be much help, a lot of the weeds are missing pictures. http://www.weeds.gov.au/identification/index.html Re: Clay and Composting 2Aug 03, 2010 12:09 pm I didn't think that composting weeds was a problem, the main issue is trying to kill them. I found this link that may help: http://green.wikia.com/wiki/Composting_Weeds View our blog at: http://room4acubby.blogspot.com/ Re: Clay and Composting 3Aug 03, 2010 1:54 pm Composting weeds is not as simple as may seem. Weeds will still sprout if they are not dried out enough and left to die. You will need your compost bin to reach some pretty hot temps in order to do this, or, its best to leave the weeds out in the sun till they are dry then compost them. There is a small chance that the seeds will still germinate if there are any, so make sure ur compost heap gets really hot. Re: Clay and Composting 4Aug 03, 2010 2:07 pm I would bin the weeds and dig through cert org compost and sand and gypsum. Mulch with 50mm straw, 50mm tree mulch, plant into it in about a month. Pull up any weeds that come through early. Soil should be the ducks guts after that. If you are going to compost the weeds I would solarise them first. You are in Melbourne so can get "naked farmer" in bulk, some of that too would be ideal mixed in. Re: Clay and Composting 5Aug 03, 2010 4:08 pm What about the old hot bag treatment? Similar to oohsam's suggestion - but put the weeds in black garbage bags, seal and leave in the hot summer sun for a week. The black plastic raises the temps even higher to kill any seeds. If you've got some time - try growing a green manure crop for 4 months, slash then work in. After 4 years - we're in! Re: Clay and Composting 6Aug 04, 2010 8:19 am I would order bulk mushroom compost and mix it through I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Clay and Composting 7Aug 04, 2010 12:34 pm Mushroom compost is so great...as its Nuetral and provides alot of nutrients over alot of time as it breaks down. and its so cheap. its like 5 dollars a bag. I spread it all over my lawn every now and then and just let it break down. and I have heavy clay! Re: Clay and Composting 8Aug 04, 2010 5:32 pm Yeah mushroom compost is also available in bulk from mushroom producers in ridiculously cheap prices I am getting a couple of tonnes dumped on a friends newly built block during spring to help him out with his clay problem I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Clay and Composting 9Aug 06, 2010 11:13 pm Smurph I've just built a new house in the north of Melbourne and I'm now looking at my backyard. The soil here is mostly composed of clay, large clumps of it stick to my gumboots and I have a hard time getting it to dry out. I have this same clay (Fawkner) and if you think clumping glue is bad wait until it dries out. Smurph I've been looking at ways to deal with it and I've read that working through it with organic material is a good option. It just so happens I have seven garbage bags of weeds that I pulled out of the front yard. Dig a big hole where you want your garden. Digging this stuff = bloody impossible in winter, walking to NZ is easier in summer compared. My secret - $100 industrial drill from bunnings + 1 meter long masonary drill bits $25 = easy peel podge that slides strait onto a shovel. Believe me every single dollar was worth it. When you swing a pick at this stuff it just disappears into a mass of glue. Then you have to somehow pull it out. When it dries in summer the pick is useless, you need a jackhammer. The drill solved both seasons. Just drill a line of holes, pop it open with a stake like a wedge into sandstone blocks. Easy... Once you have your hole /s Bury whatever green stuff you can, add sand and that red plywood mulch from a garden suppliers along with heavy redgum mulch for long lasting goodness. Both will take 6 to 9 months to break down but you will be left with a rich humus of magical qualities. No need for Gypsum really, just keep adding mass and cover it well using a mix of clay and mulch. Keep it wet in Summer! Backfill and keep turning from time to time. Add in more materials as you go, cardboard, paper, smashed wood, cuttings, lawn clippings, hay, straw, compost anything.. This won't be good to go for 3 months while the ply mulch and weeds break down. The nitrate levels will plummet as fungi does its job and some acids will burn roots. By the time its November its ready to go. Smurph My question is that I need to know what weeds I can compost and what ones I can't. Is there an easy reference for identifying the weeds and and their suitability for composting? Creeping weeds and deep tuber weeds need to placed into a bin. I could be wrong but generally anything that grows a deep tuber or creeps I discard into a plastic bag and bin it = gone! Anything else is great biomass for the bacteria in my 40 gallon drum. So as rule Tubers / Creepers = bin Shallow rooted / herbaceous / woody = compost. Regarding what you have already pulled out. Leave them in the bags - seal the bags well but not completely and leave them in a protected sunny spot for 6 weeks then compost it all. The heat will kill everything even seeds and bacteria will turn it onto pulp in a week or 2. Don't smoke around the bags! Make sure they "leak" a little air otherwise methane and CO2 will pop them. Laying stuff on top does not work anywhere near what you will get if you dig it down and turn it over with added goodies. I dug down in 2 out of 4 places here and the 2 places I didn't are compacted clay underneath. One place I have turned every 6 months (7 times) and the soils are deep rich and full of goodness but more importantly, they are light to a shovel. I have added Lilydale toppings as a mulch, I scrape it back when turning. The toppings has micro nutrients the clay doesn't as a result the soils are always damp, full of worms and the plants have grown faster than expected. Even the gum, grevilia, Hardenburgia and Wax flower have taken off like a rocket. The gum was struggling and being attacked by leaf miners etc, now its filled out and grown 2 meters in the space of 10 months while spreading out as it should. So basically, add organics as much as you can, digg it through, airate the clay and mix it in. Mulch it with rocks or heavy redgum to keep it wet in hotter weather. You don't need to water this stuff at all so long as it does not dry out. Once it does watering is a waste of time, it cracks open a good meter deep all over.. 2 meters down is a layer of weathered volcanic rock from Whittlesea and Somerton, when it cracks it cracks all the way down. THe only advantage is this clay is magical weathered black volcanic soil that has had about 150 years of cows and sheep stomping on it. It just needs some love and input and the result is the best soil you will see this side of of the Darling. Re: Clay and Composting 11Aug 07, 2010 8:04 am Compaction is your big enemy too with clay. Mulch heavily after improving the soil. I've dug some footings to embed a post anchor into. My holes are around 450mm deep which I'll put a 200mm stirrup into. The bottom of these holes seem firm enough. … 0 3300 I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 9871 OK it's been a little while! 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