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Composting aquilegia and poppies

IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
in Tools and techniques
I thought I did the right thing by composting the seed heads while they were still green. I thought they were not mature enough for viable seeds as they weren’t open, brown and would rot down quickly in the heap. I turned the heap yesterday and found a load of open seed heads. Did I make a rookie mistake? Same with poppy seeds. It’s going to be everywhere now especially in plant pots which I didn’t want.

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They're easy enough to pull out if they seed though, as long as you recognise the seedlings  :)
    I compost deadheaded aquilegias when they're green, but I haven't had any germinate when I use the compost. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    Somehow poppy seedlings have germinated in my veg patch where I did spread compost. Unfortunately they don’t seem so easily to pull out. It doesn’t smell like a veg or herb and looks like poppy leaves.
  • BraidmanBraidman Posts: 274
    Never put weeds or plants with seed heads on to the compost heap, as they never rot down in my experience, especially "chickweed", deadly!
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I put seed heads of things I like in the compost, but then I  can recognise the seedlings and like the wild abandoned look.  I gave a couple of bags of  mature compost to my friend when she did her new garden, she got free forgetmenots, nicotianas and cosmos came up. It looked glorious.
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    I think I’ll just cut the seed heads I like into the borders. They aren’t great if they come up in my pot plants if I use homemade compost there. 
    I seem to get lots of ox eye daisy and forget me not  seedlings. Would love cosmos and nicotiana self seeding.
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