bugs in compost?

[Chronicon]

i have a compost pile thats full of worms and has been there ever since we moved in (3 years ago) and have no idea how many years it's been there so is prolly full of worm castings.

it is in the garden bed, it has 3 walls and no roof/lid so my question is could there be nasty bugs in this compost and if so what is the best way to get rid of them so i can use the compost ?

 

thnx

[Guest weekprik]

introduce more good bugs, and they will eat the bad bugs.

[Mr Nice Guy]

Sounds alright..... Just turn it and water it every so often.... I don't really thing there would be any bad bugs in it.... should give it a ago.... if it has heaps of worms it has to be good compost.

[Chronicon]

ok thnx

[dazza]

If you see any bad bugs it it which cannot be removed(mites/thrips/scarid fly) you can always run a bit of bleach in a bucket of water through it and then flush it with clean water a few days later. This will unfortunately kill your worms. This worked quite well with coco pete that i was told may contain scarid fly, and it was suggested i do it anyways just in case. Not too friendly on your good bugs however.

Otherwise use the compost in a pot(or whatever) and place one or two

"segments" from a clove of garlic in the pot to grow with your plant/s. This type of companion planting has worked very well for me as it has rid my organic soil of bugs(especially mites) and i have had to use no pestecides for my last crop. Companion planting is overlooked big time- even indoors!!

[Guest Wilderbud]

If you see any bad bugs it it which cannot be removed(mites/thrips/scarid fly) you can always run a bit of bleach in a bucket of water through it and then flush it with clean water a few days later. This will unfortunately kill your worms. This worked quite well with coco pete that i was told may contain scarid fly, and it was suggested i do it anyways just in case.

Next time cook it at 100C for an hour - itll make your peat inert again - I dont like the sound of bleaching.

 

PS. I dont know if its good to cook compost also - Ive only heard of doing this to peat moss. My soil has some bugs infecting it and Ill be cooking it before reusing it to kill all of them. The bugs are slowing down plant growth but Im keeping the numbers down by using salt water each week [not good but it works].

Edited August 27, 2003 by Wilderbud

[Tom]

If you have good healthy compost then it should be full of all sorts of bugs, including predators for bad bugs. It is a waste of time sterilising soil that will be used outdoors, it will not stay sterile for very long, if you intend to use it indoors then it would need to be sterilised which would destroy some of the main benefits of using it.

[dazza]

What is the problem of a tiny (a few ml) bit of bleach in water before you grow? sounds better than Mortein during the flowering cycle.....