Composting small branches

I regurgitate the news

Hi,

I cut the rose bushes last year but they've not really composted much bar the ones I buried under the soil.

I was thinking about cutting them up with a lawm mower but don't want to wreck the mower.

Anyone have tips on other methods?

Reckless Abandonment

Small thin branches i run over with the lawnmower (not saying this is 100% safe or good for the mower) and conpost them. Anything more than 1 cm i put in the brown bin.

Yes, I don't have the mass of compost to break down anything like this either. I have a twig pile in an out of the way corner. It's superb for all sorts of insects. But brown bin if you don't fancy this; it would not be recommended for a lawnmower.

magicbastarder

woody stuff can take a couple of years to decompose. we just throw that sort of stuff in a pile down the end of the garden and leave it be. it's usually chock full of small frogs.

cruizer101

Garden Shredder is the ideal tool for it but is kind of overkill to get one if you are not going to have too much.
You could cut them up with a secateurs but is lot of work, more kind of a job for sitting out on a sunny day and just tipping away at.
Depending on size lawnmower can work, but think twigs size, less than half centi-metre size ish.

The Continental Op

The old trick was to save up all the woody stuff and then use it when you make up a new compost bin. Put all the woody stuff at the bottom and it allows a bit more air to circulate.

magicbastarder

If you're on Facebook and are in any local groups, it's might be worth asking if anyone has the loan of a shredder.

ednwireland

big stihl electric chipper. been getting through mountains of branches lying around my fields

if you were in Donegal (within 5km of me) you could have my old one! which is fine for small stuff

I regurgitate the news

ednwireland wrote: »

big stihl electric chipper. been getting through mountains of branches lying around my fields

if you were in Donegal (within 5km of me) you could have my old one! which is fine for small stuff

A bit too far for me but thanks.


Think I will just break them up slowly and then mow over them

ednwireland

I regurgitate the news wrote: »

A bit too far for me but thanks.


Think I will just break them up slowly and then mow over them

if your gardens big enough you could construct a "dead hedge"

http://www.askorganic.co.uk/composting/Make%20a%20Dead%20Hedge.htm#:~:text=Originally%20used%20as%20a%20stock,can%20be%20hard%20to%20compost.&text=Shredding%20smaller%20woody%20stems%20lets,same%20rate%20as%20softer%20material.