COMPOST HEAPS
Sir.-The Gardening Expert, speaking from 2YA recently, said that dock and couch roots should not be put in the compost heap, as they would grow. fF consider that. he should have added "unless sufficient heat is generated to kill the roots." .This is a serious matter as it may involve the loss of tons of potential humus so sadly needed by our overworked soil. Only last week I saw several dray loads of couch raked off u paddock-destined, not for the fire, but for a compost heap, along with stable litter. That heap is now steaming merrily. When I moved into this town section, the back garden was a wilderness of tall
grass and weeds, including a perfect mat of convolvulus. When I got down to forking the soil I was able to fill the barrow with convolvulus roots in an hour or so, Those roots have all gone through the compost Box, together_ with plenty of docks and other things.
L. T. M.
BODLEY
(Hastings;
(Station 2YA’s Gardening Expert replies as follows: "Mr. Bodley is quite right in drawing attention to ‘my omission of the phrase ‘unless sufficient heat is generated to kill the roots.’ My remarks were meant to apply to small gardens, where the owners seldom have stable litter, etc., or enough other material to generate the heat needed to kill convolvulus and other noxious weeds.’’-Ed.)
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 483, 24 September 1948, Page 5
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231COMPOST HEAPS New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 483, 24 September 1948, Page 5
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