Can I Compost Weeds in the HOTBIN?

The answer is YES you can! HOTBIN can compost those ‘unwanted things’ that grows in the ‘wrong places’ in our gardens.

Here are some precautions and considerations that you should take in account.

  1. If you are following general weed advice and removing them whilst they are young, the weeds will breakdown and make excellent compost quickly.
  2. However, if they are not destroyed properly, the weeds can end up being spread over flower and vegetable beds in final compost causing mayhem to your plot.
  3. Some experts advise destroying the weeds before adding to compost bins. Specially, if you are cold composting.
  4. Heat is the successful factor in the successful destruction of weeds and seeds if you want to compost them. Even the most resilient perennial weed cannot survive sustained hot composting temperatures of 140°F.
  5. Domestic weed killers are biodegradable, so composting weeds that have been exposed to weed killers should not be considered a problem.

Destroying weeds through sustained heat in the HOTBIN

  1. Ensure you are HOT composting between 100-140°F.
  2. Never add weeds or seeds to a HOTBIN that is not up to temperature. Otherwise, weeds and seeds will be spread in final compost.
  3. Add weeds and seed heads into the top of the bin, the hottest part and place in the middle.
  4. Do not fork the mix in as they could then fall to the cooler layers or down the sides, and may survive.
  5. Test Your Final Compost - To reassure yourself that all the weeds are gone, especially with invasive ones, test your final compost by planting a few small pots with your final compost and water to see if anything germinates. If they don't, hot composting has successfully destroyed them.

NOTE: Bear in mind that at the end of the day it’s difficult to get rid of all weed seeds. Birds will kindly drop them, the wind will carry them, and they can even lay dormant in the soil for years.