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Weeds came up after applying compost in veg patch.

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  • 19-08-2019 9:10am
    #1
    Slasher
    Registered Users Posts: 400 ✭✭


    I put down some general purpose compost into my vegetable patch to try to improve the soil, and forked it in.

    Within a week or so, loads of small weeds appeared.

    Does anyone know why this happened and what i can do about it?

    Appreciate any advice.

    Thanks.


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    #2
    Zzippy
    Registered Users Posts: 14,166 ✭✭✭✭Zzippy


    Slasher wrote: »
    I put down some general purpose compost into my vegetable patch to try to improve the soil, and forked it in.

    Within a week or so, loads of small weeds appeared.

    Does anyone know why this happened and what i can do about it?

    Appreciate any advice.

    Thanks.

    Either there were weed seeds in your compost, or there were weed seeds in your veg patch, which germinated when you disturbed the ground. If it was commercial compost, the second is more likely.
    You can remove weeds by hand. You could hoe them regularly so they don't get a foothold - a Dutch hoe is good for this. You could put down some plastic/cardboard/membrane to cover the soil and any germinating weeds can't survive due to no sunlight. Or, least favoured option, weedkiller. Which you really don't want to do in a veg patch...


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    #3
    Slasher
    Registered Users Posts: 400 ✭✭Slasher


    Thanks for the response.

    There had been a lot of weeds there, but i cleared them out thoroughly prior to mixing in the compost.

    The compost was purchased, I think it was a Bord na Mona product, so i hope there wasn't weed seeds therein.


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    #4
    my3cents
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭my3cents


    Sorry but I don't see what you are expecting OP. You mix soil thats probably lost a good bit of its fertility but is full of weed seeds with good compost and the weeds germinate and grow isn't that what you expected to happen?

    Now if you can identify the weed seedlings and have now got new weeds you didn't have before that would be something to complain about.


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    #5
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 49,495 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    Slasher wrote: »
    There had been a lot of weeds there, but i cleared them out thoroughly prior to mixing in the compost.
    sounds definitely like they came from the existing soil so, it's probably got quite a few seeds yet to germinate too. regular hoeing, as Zzippy mentioned. or else google solarising soil.


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    #6
    Markcheese
    Registered Users Posts: 8,463 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    The more you disturb the soil the more seeds will germinate, you might be amazed at how many seeds can be lying dormant in your soil...
    A thin sharp hoe on a dry day (easier said than done), will take care of then, you dont need to pull them out, just disturb the roots,

    (having said that I get to tomato plants growing where ever I put compost from my wormery)

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



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